Student Academic Responsibility

Students are responsible for the proper completion of their academic program; for familiarity with all requirements of the MCC College Catalog under which they intend to graduate; for maintaining the grade point average required for continued enrollment and at all times knowing their academic standing; and for meeting all other degree, diploma, or certificate requirements. Advisors counsel students, but the final responsibility remains that of the students.

Students are required to have knowledge of and observe all regulations pertaining to campus life and student conduct. Students are also responsible for maintaining communications with Martin Community College by keeping their current address and telephone number on file in the Registrar’s Office.

Course Load

Full-time students are those who are taking a course load of 12 or more credit hours during the Fall or Spring semesters and 9 or more credit hours during the Summer semester (12 or more for Financial Aid purposes). A normal load for an average student will vary between 16 and 20 credit hours per semester. Students’ class schedules and course loads should be carefully planned through consultation with their advisor. Students desiring to take 21 or more credit hours must obtain special permission from their advisors and the Chief Academic Officer.

Degree, Diploma, and Certificate Requirements

Martin Community College confers the Associate in Applied Science Degree upon students who successfully complete a two-year technical program and the Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, or Associate in Engineering degree to those who successfully complete a two-year college transfer program. An Associate in General Education Degree is awarded to students who successfully complete the two-year General Education Program. A diploma is awarded to students who satisfactorily complete a vocational program or an approved diploma-level program. A certificate is awarded to students who complete approved certificate-level programs.

Students are scholastically eligible for graduation when they have satisfied the specific requirements of the program in which they are enrolled, have paid all outstanding debts to the College, and have a major grade point average of 2.0. Physical Therapist Assistant and Medical Assisting students must make a “C” or better on all courses including General Education to be eligible for graduation. PTA students should refer to the PTA Handbook for grading of Clinical Evaluation.

No matter how many hours students transfer from another institution, they must complete a minimum of 25 percent of the credit hours required in their program at MCC to be eligible to graduate from that program.

ACA Policy

All students enrolled in an associate degree or diploma program are encouraged to take ACA 115 Success in Study Skills or ACA 122 College Transfer Success within their first 12 hours attempted. ACA is required for graduation in all associate degree programs.

The ACA 115/122 course requirement for associate and diploma programs may be waived for any student who meets at least one of the following conditions:

• Has a college degree from a regionally accredited institution
• Has completed a similar college course and has a successful academic record (cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better in previous college courses)
• Has successfully completed (cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better) at least 30 hours of transfer credit from another college or university
• Has completed a tour of duty in the military with the successful completion of military occupational specialty (MOS) training
• Is taking courses as part of an apprenticeship or employer-sponsored training.

In extraordinary circumstances, the Chief Academic Officer may waive the ACA requirement for an individual student. The student will be advised that a local waiver may not be accepted by a transfer institution, especially if used for the Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Science (AS) degrees, including the Teacher Prep AA and AS degrees.

Grading System

Martin Community College allows the use of a 7-point or a 10-point scale in its grading system, depending on course. Letter grades are awarded as follows:

| Letter Grade | Definition | Quality Points | 7-Point Scale | 10-Point Scale |
|————–|————|—————-|—————|—————-|
| A | Excellent | 4 per semester hour | 93-100 | 90-100 |
| B | Above Average | 3 per semester hour | 85-92 | 80-89 |
| C | Average | 2 per semester hour | 77-84 | 70-79 |
| D | Below Average | 1 per semester hour | 70-76 | 60-69 |
| F | Failure | 0 per semester hour | 69 and below | 59 and below |
| *I | Incomplete | 0 per semester hour |   |   |
| AU | Audit | 0 per semester hour |   |   |
| NA | Never Attended | 0 per semester hour |   |   |
| W | Withdrawal | 0 per semester hour |   |   |
| WF | Administrative |   |   |   |
|   | Withdrawal | 0 per semester hour |   |   |
| T | Transfer | 0 per semester hour |   |   |
| XA | Credit by Exam | 4 per semester hour |   |   |
| XB | Credit by Exam | 3 per semester hour |   |   |
| XC | Credit by Exam | 2 per semester hour |   |   |
| AP | Advanced Placement | 0 per semester hour |   |   |
| AR | Articulation Agreement. | 0 per semester hour |   |   |
| P | Pass |   |   |   |
| R | Repeat |   |   |   |

A letter following an “I” (e.g., IA, IB, IC, ID, IF) indicates the resolution of the “I” grade and the appropriate quality points have been awarded.

Developmental courses have the following grading scale: P, P1, P2, P3, R. Supplemental courses have the following grading scale: P, F

I (Incomplete)

A temporary grade of “I” is entered on students’ records at the discretion of the instructor if at least 85% of the course work has been completed. A grade of “I” is calculated into the overall grade point average in the same manner as an “F.” Once the “I” grade is satisfactorily removed, the quality points for the grade earned are added to the previous total and the grade point average is recalculated. Students receiving an “I” must make up work required for passing the course by the last day to withdraw without receiving an “F” of the following semester (whether student is enrolled or not), or the “I” will automatically revert to an “F.” Students should not re-register for a course in which they have received an “I” until the “I” has officially been changed to an “F” or a passing grade. (See policy on Repeat Courses.) Incomplete course forms are sent to students who receive “I’s” at the end of the semester, and it is the student’s responsibility to contact the appropriate instructor(s) and make the necessary arrangements to remove an “I.”

AU (Audit)

A grade of “AU” is entered on students’ records when they audit a course. Auditors do not receive credit. Auditors must satisfy pre & corequisite requirements. Even though it is not required, they are encouraged to attend classes regularly, participate in class discussions, and take all examinations. Tuition for auditors is the same as that for credit students. The decision to change from credit to audit must be made by the “Last Day to Add a Course” as published in the Academic Calendar. Audited hours cannot be used in calculating the amount of financial aid (Pell Grants, DVA, etc.) students receive. Students may not audit a course more than two times.

NA (Never Attended)

An “NA” is entered on students’ records when students never attended a class.

W (Withdrawal)

A “W” is entered on students’ records when they officially withdraw between the 10 percent point and the end of the eleventh week of the sixteen-week semester or its equivalent during an abbreviated semester. (See Academic Calendar for specific dates.) Withdrawals beyond the end of the eleventh week may be allowed if extenuating circumstances are approved through the Chief Academic Officer. Withdrawals must be initiated by students who complete the necessary withdrawal forms. A grade of “W” does not count as hours attempted when computing the GPA for that semester.

WF (Administrative Withdrawal)

A “WF” is entered on students’ records as an administrative withdrawal when students have exceeded the allowable absence rate for the course. This action is initiated by the instructor of the course. The “WF” is treated as an “F” in quality point calculation and will affect financial aid as hours attempted.

T (Transferred Course)

A “T” is entered on students’ records when credit is given for course work transferred from another institution or CLEP exams.

X (Credit by Exam)

The grade preceded by an “X” (example: XA) is entered on students’ records if they complete a course through proficiency examination with a grade of “C” or better. No more than one-half of the required credits for a degree, diploma, or certificate may be earned through credit by exam.

AP (Advanced Placement)

A grade of “AP” is entered on students’ records when they are granted credit for selected courses taken in high school and proof of satisfactory scores on AP test is provided. Hours will be counted toward graduation but not in calculating the grade point average.

AR (Articulation Agreement)

A grade of “AR” is entered on students’ records when they are granted credit for courses taken in high school as outlined in the NC High School to Community College Articulation Agreement. To obtain credit taken for identified courses a grade of “B” or higher must be earned in the high school course, and a raw score of 93 or higher must be made on the standardized VoCats post-assessment. In order to receive articulated credit, students must enroll at the community college within two years of their high school graduation date.

Traditional and Non-Traditional Delivery of Curriculum Classes

Non-traditional Delivery Classes are not consistent with the definitions of regularly scheduled classes. These Non-traditional Delivery Classes may include courses offered at times other than traditionally scheduled courses or may be taught by non-traditional methods.

Traditional: Section 10-19

College curriculum or continuing education course in which 100% of the instruction is delivered face-to-face with the instructor in the physical presence of students. This is true even when some instructional activities are conducted using web-based technology.

Independent Study: Section 20

Students enrolled in an Independent Study section are able to obtain the same information that is taught in the traditional class, but the Independent Study section is arranged at a time other than the class time posted in the schedule of classes. Independent Study courses have the same requirements and earn the same credit as regular courses. Students interested in Independent Study must obtain permission of the instructor and indicate the Independent Study section on their registration form or add/drop form.

Credit by Examination: Section 30

Credit by examination may be allowed for a given course if students can demonstrate the required level of proficiency because of independent study and/or experience. Students who desire to earn credit by examination must complete the process by the end of the first four (4) days of classes during each Fall and Spring semester and by the end of the first two days of Summer session. To earn credit by exam, the student must initiate the process with his/her advisor and the instructor responsible for the credit by exam course. The instructor will complete the “Credit by Exam Request Form” and submit it to the Vice President Academic Affairs/CAO; justification for the exam must be provided. Once approved, the student must pay the required tuition and fees, and the exam will be administered. If the student receives a grade of at least a C, their grade will be submitted on the grade roster. If a student makes below a C on the exam, they must officially drop the section 30 course and may enroll in a scheduled section of that course. No more than one-half of the required credits for a degree, diploma, or certificate may be earned through credit by examination.

The transfer of credit by exam grades earned at other institutions will be decided on a course-by-course basis in consultation with the appropriate division chair/instructor. Martin Community College does not guarantee transferability of credit by examination courses to any other institution. Students are urged to contact the college or university to which they intend to transfer to find out that institution’s policy regarding the acceptance of credit by exam grades. Credit by examination courses are not eligible for Federal Financial Aid.

Computing the Grade Point Average (GPA)

Academic quality must be achieved in order to graduate from any program at Martin Community College. The standard for a student’s work is determined by the grade point average (GPA). For the purpose of determining grade point averages, final grades have the following quality points (QP’s):

• A: 4
• B: 3
• C: 2
• D: 1
• I: 0
• F: 0
• WF: 0
• T, AU, NA, W, AR, AP: not included in GPA

Total quality points are computed by multiplying the number of credit hours per course by the quality points of the grade earned.

For academic standing classifications (such as probation and dismissal) and GPA-related policies like forgiveness and replacement, see Academic Standing and GPA Policies.

Example of Computing Grade Point Average

| Course | Credit Hours | Final Grade | Calculation | Quality Points |
|——–|————–|————-|————-|—————-|
| ENG 111 | 3 | C | (3 x 2) | 6 |
| MAT 115 | 3 | D | (3 x 1) | 3 |
| PSY 150 | 3 | B | (3 x 3) | 9 |
| SOC 210 | 3 | A | (3 x 4) | 12 |
| CIS 111 | 2 | F | (2 x 0) | 0 |
| TOTAL | 14 |   | TOTAL | 30 |

Divide the total quality points earned (30) by the total credit hours attempted (14):

30 divided by 14 equals 2.14 grade point average (GPA).

Faculty Advisor System

Students are assigned to a faculty advisor depending upon their chosen program of study. Faculty advisors help students with planning their program of study; interpreting placement and other test scores; registering for classes; and dropping, adding, or withdrawing from classes. The student is responsible for following program requirements and meeting Financial Aid policy.

The relationship with an advisor can be very special and personal. Faculty advisors are available during the advisor/advisee conference period and registration period of each semester. They are also available during their posted office hours. Students are encouraged to consult with their advisors throughout the semester as the need arises.

Tutoring

Martin Community College offers a range of tutoring services to support student success. Services are free of charge to current students. Traditional tutoring and peer tutoring provide personalized academic assistance to help students achieve their academic goals. Tutoring services are conveniently available in the MCC Library, and students are encouraged to take full advantage of these resources. Instructors are also available to provide guidance and to assist students with their coursework. For instructor support, students can find contact information, office hours, and availability on office doors and course syllabi.

Change of Major Program/Double Major

When students decide to change programs, and/or add a program they must complete the appropriate form signed by previous and new advisors and returned to Registrar’s Office by the 10% point of the semester in which the program change is to be effective.

Grade Point Average for Program Change

The Major GPA will be recalculated on the basis of the following guidelines when a program is changed:

• If students made a grade of “F” in a course which is normally considered to be part of the new program, the students will receive no credit for that course; but the “F” will be included in the new major GPA calculation.
• Courses which are not applicable to the new program will not be included in recalculating the major GPA.
• The responsibility for deciding which courses are transferable rests upon the Registrar. The advisor may be consulted in making this decision.

Veterans: Because of specific Veterans Administration policies regulating benefits, questions concerning program changes and the academic probation policy should be referred to the VA Certifying Official.

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Attendance Policy

Martin Community College recognizes that academic success is tied to regular attendance and completion of assigned work and tasks in a timely manner. Students are expected to attend a minimum of 80 percent of the total hours of a course, which includes classes, labs, and shops. Some courses and programs have stricter attendance requirements of 85, 90, or 95 percent based upon the difficulty and complexity of the subject matter. General Education and Developmental courses require 85 percent attendance. The syllabus for each course will specify the attendance requirement. Attendance is recorded in online classes; attendance is usually recorded through students’ submission of assignments.

Students must be present in at least one class during the first ten percent (10%) of a course in order to be considered enrolled in the class. If a student has not attended at least one class session by the ten percent census date, the instructor will submit a grade of “NA.”

Students who miss more than six contiguous contact hours or fail to attend the required percentage of total hours without a justifiable absence and verifiable contact with the instructor will be administratively withdrawn from the class by the instructor and may result in a failing grade for the course if after the Last Date for Withdrawal (LDW). The course syllabus will indicate what the instructor considers a justifiable absence and will define “verifiable contact.” The last day to officially withdraw without receiving an “F” is published in the academic calendar for each academic term. The official withdrawal date for mini-sessions, block courses, or other nontraditional schedules are available from the Registrar.

When a student has been administratively withdrawn from a course, and he/she wishes to be reinstated, he/she must contact the instructor of the course within 5 days of being administratively withdrawn. Reinstatement can only be allowed before the LDW. If the instructor grants the student’s request to be reinstated to the course, a Course Reinstatement form must be signed by the instructor and submitted to the Registrar.

Make-up work may be allowed at the discretion of the instructor, and the instructor’s policy on make-up work will be included in the course syllabus. Students in clinical and cooperative educational work experiences must complete 100 percent of the required hours to receive a passing grade. Clinical or cooperative work experience make-up hours require clinical or cooperative educational work site approval and approval of the instructor.

Habitual tardiness and/or early departure in a course may, at the discretion of the instructor, be considered in computing class attendance. The course syllabus will include the instructor’s definition of tardiness and early departure.

Students will be counted absent from the date they register for each course.

warning
Under DVA regulations, the enrollment of veterans or dependents will be terminated or adjusted if they are administratively withdrawn or if they officially withdraw.

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If an instructor fails to report for a class within 15 minutes of the scheduled beginning time and has not left instructions, those students present should sign a sheet before leaving and should designate a student to submit it to the Chief Academic Officer.

Scheduled Academic Closure Attendance Policy

If the campus has a scheduled academic closure, a student’s online attendance will be recorded in Self-Service on the next academic calendar day. For example, the campus is closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 16. If a student submits work on that date, their attendance will be recorded in Self-Service as January 17. This policy is not inclusive of unscheduled closures, such as inclement weather days.

Administrative Withdrawal Policy

Martin Community College is an attendance taking institution. Instructors may administratively withdraw a student missing six (6) contiguous hours or failing to attend the required percentage of total hours of a course without justifiable absence and verifiable contact with the instructor. Students who exceed the allowed number of absences for a course must be administratively withdrawn which should occur no more than 30 days from the last date of attendance. If a student notifies the instructor of their intent to withdraw, the instructor should advise the student to complete the course withdrawal form found in the Registrar’s Office.

Administrative withdrawals are to be submitted by the faculty to the Registrar’s Office within 21 days of the Last Day of Attendance. If a student stops attending within the last 6 contiguous hours of the course, an AW will not be submitted. The student will receive the grade they earned.

Students who are administratively withdrawn, per the Attendance Policy, before the Last Date of Withdrawal (LDW) will automatically receive a W grade for the course. When a student has been administratively withdrawn from a course and he/she wishes to be reinstated, he/she must contact the instructor of the course within 5 days of being administratively withdrawn. If the instructor grants the student’s request to be reinstated to the course, a Course Reinstatement form must be signed by the instructor and submitted to the Registrar. Students who are administratively withdrawn after the LDW will receive a WF for the course and instructors should indicate the student’s LDA. The Last Date for Withdrawal (LDW) can be found for each term on the Academic Calendar.

Course Substitution

Course substitutions may be approved to fulfill graduation requirements provided the substitution is appropriate to the student’s program and comparable courses are offered. Substitutions cannot be made for core courses. CCP students may not substitute courses in one program for courses in another.

Requests for course substitution must be approved by the academic advisor and the Chief Academic Officer. If a course substitution is approved, the completed Course Substitution Form must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office for verification of the substitution and input of the information into the system.

Evening Curriculum Students

Because of the large number of contact hours in some courses and the student demand for certain courses, it is not always possible to complete the graduation requirements for all programs during evening hours. In programs which do not offer all courses at night, it will be necessary for students to attend certain day classes to complete the requirements for graduation.

Graduation Catalog of Record

Students in continuous attendance (Summer Semester excepted) may graduate under the provisions of the catalog in effect on their date of entry into their current curriculum, or under the requirements of the catalog in effect at the time of graduation, if they have made a change in their Catalog of Record. Students who would like to change their Catalog of Record must notify the Registrar and their Advisor. Students not enrolled for one academic year must graduate under the provisions of the catalog in effect on their first date of re-entry into the curriculum or the catalog in effect at the time of graduation. Students who do a program change must graduate under the provisions of the catalog in effect on the date that their program change becomes effective or the catalog in effect at the time of graduation.

Reverse Transfer

The Reverse Transfer Program is a collaborative effort between North Carolina’s Community Colleges and the University of North Carolina’s 16 constituent institutions. Students who transfer to a North Carolina university from one of the 58 North Carolina community colleges are given the opportunity to combine the credits earned at the university with credits already earned at the community college to determine if the associate degree requirements have been met. Eligible students will be asked to participate when they transfer to one of the participating universities through their student services account and must agree to release their university academic records back to the community college for review. There is no cost for awarding of the degree. If a student wishes to receive a printed diploma or to participate in graduation ceremonies, he or she should complete the graduation application form (located in the Registrar’s Office) and pay the appropriate graduation fee(s) to the Business Office.