Undergraduate Academic Rules and Procedures Academic Advising Undeclared engineering students are advised by the staff members in the Student Development Center. Engineering students who have declared an academic program are advised by faculty advisors assigned to that program. Students may request a change of advisor when it is deemed appropriate. All students are required to have a conference with their advisors before registering for classes each semester. Application for Degree Students who wish to be considered for graduation must file an Application for Degree with the Office of the Registrar before the deadline date during the session in which the degree is to be conferred. Students who do not graduate on the date indicated in the Application for Degree must file another application for the next applicable session. Students do not need to be registered to apply for a degree. See Application for Degree (http://www.registrar.uiowa.edu/graduation/degreeapp.aspx) on the University's Office of the Registrar web site. Academic Recognition Engineering Honors Program The College of Engineering Honors Program provides special recognition for outstanding undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional accomplishment through research, directed independent study, teaching internships, or other approved nondegree enrichment activities. Engineering students who wish to graduate with honors must maintain a University of Iowa g.p.a. of at least 3.33, complete an honors project with a faculty member, and participate in a college-wide honors seminar with faculty members and other honors students. Successful completion of the honors program requirements leads to a B.S.E. with honors, which is recorded on the student's University academic record. First-year and sophomore students with a University of Iowa g.p.a. of at least 3.33 are automatically admitted to the University of Iowa Honors Program, which provides access to all of the services offered through the University's Honors Center. Engineering students are encouraged to participate in honors activities. Engineering students are the second largest collegiate group in the University Honors Program. For more information, contact the College of Engineering associate dean for academic programs. Graduation with Honors High scholastic achievement is certified in two ways; graduation with distinction based on grades only, and graduation with honors based on both grades and exceptional accomplishment. To be eligible for graduation with honors, students must be recommended by their major department, approved by a selected honors committee and the director of the honors program, and complete honors requirements. Graduation with Distinction The college awards degrees "with highest distinction" to students in the highest 2 percent of their graduating class, "with high distinction" to students in the next-highest 3 percent, and "with distinction" to students in the next-highest 5 percent. Ranking is based on students' grade-point average for all college-level study undertaken up to their final registration. To be eligible to graduate with distinction, students must take their final 60 s.h. of study in residence at the college and must have completed at least 45 s.h. in the college before their final registration. Students in the combined engineering/liberal arts and sciences program are eligible to graduate with distinction regardless of the college in which they complete their residency requirement. Dean's List Students in the undergraduate Tippie College of Business, Colleges of Engineering, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Nursing, and undergraduate programs in the Carver College of Medicine who achieve a grade-point average of 3.50 or higher on 12 s.h. or more of University of Iowa graded course work (including Guided Independent Study courses) during a semester (or summer session) and who have no hours of I (incomplete) or O (no grade reported) for that enrollment are recognized by inclusion on the Dean's List for that semester (or session). President's List University of Iowa undergraduate students who achieve a grade-point average of 4.00 on 12 s.h. or more of University of Iowa graded course work (including Guided Independent Study Courses) and who have no hours of I (incomplete) or O (no grade reported) for two consecutive semesters (including summer session) are recognized by inclusion on the President's List. Academic Standards Maximum Schedule Course schedules of more than 18 s.h. for a semester, 9 s.h. for a summer session, or 3 s.h. for a winter session require approval of the advising staff in the college's Student Development Center. Permission to Register for Additional Hours forms are available on the college's web site (under Current Students/Student Records Information/Forms). Classification of Students Students in the College of Engineering are classified by the number of semester hours of credit they have earned toward the Bachelor of Science in Engineering. First-year: 0-29 s.h. earned toward the B.S.E. Sophomore: 30-59 s.h. earned toward the B.S.E. Junior: 60-89 s.h. earned toward the B.S.E. Senior: 90 s.h. or more earned toward the B.S.E. Grading System The college uses a letter grading system. Plus and minus designate gradations of performance between letter grades. Numerical equivalents of letter grades are as follows. Grade   Grade points   A+   4.33 A (superior)   4.00 A-   3.67 B+   3.33 B (above average)   3.00 B-   2.67 C+   2.33 C (average)   2.00 C-   1.67 D+   1.33 D (below average)   1.00 D-   0.67 F (failing)   0 This grading system is used for all students in both undergraduate and graduate engineering courses. Grades of D-minus are passing grades; that is, courses completed with grades of D-minus or higher count toward collegiate requirements, with the exception of 22M:031 and 22M:032 Engineering Mathematics I-II: Single and Multivariable Calculus, which have a minimum grade requirement of C-minus or higher. Grades of A-plus have a value of 4.33 in calculating grade-point averages, but averages displayed in University records are truncated so that they do not exceed 4.00. Academic Probation and Dismissal Students who do not achieve or surpass the following University of Iowa cumulative and semester minimum grade-point averages are placed on academic probation. First-year (0-29 s.h. earned toward B.S.E.), 1.80 Sophomore (30-59 s.h. earned toward B.S.E.), 1.90 Junior (60-89 s.h. earned toward B.S.E.), 1.95 Senior (90 or more s.h. earned toward B.S.E.), 2.00 Students on academic probation are restored to good standing when they successfully complete an additional 9 s.h. toward an engineering degree, either in one semester or cumulatively, and their University of Iowa cumulative and semester grade-point averages equal or exceed those designated above. The college reviews academic records for all students at the end of the fall and spring semesters. There is no review at the end of the summer session. Students are placed on probation, dismissed for unsatisfactory progress (with or without previous probationary status), or restored to good standing only at the end of the fall and spring semesters. Students on academic probation are not permitted to continue their enrollment without written expectations for their future performance. Students who do not make satisfactory progress may be dismissed from the college without an intervening probationary period. Students who are dismissed from the college for unsatisfactory academic progress due to circumstances beyond their control, such as a death in their immediate family or extended personal illness, may appeal for a revocation of the dismissal. A student dismissed in January must submit a written appeal by the second day of spring semester classes. A student dismissed in May must submit the written appeal by June 15. Students dismissed from the college for poor scholarship may appeal to reenroll after an interval of at least one calendar year. A written appeal for reinstatement must be submitted to the Appeals Committee at the Student Development Center. Appeals must be submitted before June 15 for reinstatement in a fall semester or before December 1 for reinstatement in a spring semester. For details about engineering academic probation and engineering academic appeal procedures, visit the College of Engineering web site (under Current Students/Student Procedures/Academic Standards, and Appeal Procedures). Dropping and Adding Courses Courses may be added with permission of the advisor and the instructor during the first two weeks of the semester or first one-and-one-half weeks of the summer session. Courses may be dropped with permission of the advisor and the instructor at any time during the first 10 weeks of the semester. Only under compelling circumstances may courses be dropped after the 10th week, in which case special approval must be granted by the advisor, the course instructor, and the dean's office. Under no circumstance are students permitted to drop after the beginning of the scheduled final examination period. Limits on Withdrawing from Courses Undergraduates receive the mark of W for any course dropped after the second week of the semester or the first one-and-one-half weeks of the summer session. Students may not drop the same course with a mark of W more than twice. Special courses that may be repeated are exempt from this rule. Students admitted to degree programs in the College of Engineering are limited to a total of five Ws while enrolled in the College of Engineering. First-year students entering the University directly from high school with no prior full-time college experience are permitted to exclude Ws received during their first two sessions of enrollment. Students who have a legitimate reason for dropping a course (e.g., disabling illness, death of an immediate family member) and can document that reason are permitted to exclude that drop from the maximum, but the W is not removed from the record. Requests for such exclusions are made in the Student Development Center. Withdrawal of Registration Students who withdraw their entire registration must consult the staff at the Student Development Center. A student on scholastic probation who withdraws registration at any time without good cause may not be permitted to enroll for the following semester without specific approval from the Student Development Center staff. Withdrawal cards for students enrolled in the college are signed by the associate dean for academic programs. Pass/Nonpass Option A maximum of two courses taken pass/nonpass (P/N) may be applied toward satisfaction of the general education (humanities and social sciences) requirement. P/N registration must be approved by the student's advisor and the instructor of the course and must be completed during the first three weeks of a semester or the first two weeks of a summer session. P/N registration may not be changed after the deadline for adding courses. The pass/nonpass option may not be used for courses taken to satisfy the rhetoric requirement. Guided Independent Study courses taken for humanities or social science credit may not be taken P/N. Students enrolled in courses taught in the College of Engineering may choose to be graded pass/nonpass under the following conditions: the signatures of the advisor and instructor must be obtained on the proper form, and the completed form must be submitted to the registration center by the student within the time period established by University policy; the mark of P (pass) is awarded where the final course grade earned was C-minus or higher; the mark of N (nonpass) is given for grades of D-plus or below; marks of P and N are not used in computing the grade-point average, and the mark of N does not count as earned credit. No course work taken in the College of Engineering on the pass/nonpass option may be used to satisfy requirements for an engineering degree. Second-Grade-Only Option A student may elect to repeat a course with only the new grade being counted in his or her grade-point average. The option may be applied to no more than three courses, and it may be applied only once to a particular course. Transfer students may apply the option on a prorated basis. A course may not be repeated under the second-grade-only option once it has been used as a prerequisite for a more advanced course that the student has completed successfully. To exercise the second-grade-only option, students register as usual for the course that is to be repeated, then complete a Second Grade Option form at the Student Development Center; Second Grade Option forms are available on the college's web site (under Current Students/Student Records Information/Forms). The form must be completed during the session in which the course is repeated, within the first 12 weeks of the fall or spring semester or the first six weeks of the summer session. Students must follow this procedure or both grades will be counted in the University of Iowa grade-point average. Under the second-grade-only option, the registrar marks the permanent record to show that a particular course has been repeated. Both grades remain on the permanent record, but only the second is used in calculating the grade-point average and semester hours earned. The course must be taken the second time under the same circumstances and with the same grade option as it was taken the first time. The second-grade-only option cannot be used to remove a grade of incomplete, which must be removed in the usual manner. A student who holds a degree from The University of Iowa may not apply the second-grade-only option to a course taken before the degree was conferred. Satisfactory/Fail Courses The noncredit professional seminar courses required in each of the professional programs are offered only satisfactory/fail (S/F). No other engineering courses are offered on this basis. An F (failure) grade earned for such a class does not satisfy any portion of the professional seminar requirement. Incomplete and No Report Grades A mark of I (incomplete) that is not replaced by a final grade will automatically be converted to an F at the end of the next fall or spring semester (summer and winter sessions excluded), even if the student does not enroll after the session the incomplete was posted. A mark of O (no grade reported) will remain on a student's permanent record until a valid grade is submitted. Credit by Examination Students who have acquired knowledge in subject areas from sources other than formal course registrations may be granted credit toward graduation by examination, under the following conditions and limitations. No more than 32 s.h. of credit by examination may be applied toward B.S.E. degree requirements. College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) credit may be counted toward the lower-level General Education Component (humanities and social science) requirements. CLEP credit earned in natural science areas does not count toward the engineering degree. Credit also may be earned through Advanced Placement Exams. For details about CLEP and Advanced Placement Exam credit, visit the college's web site (under Current Students/Student Records Information/Exam Credit). Engineering students may earn credit for equivalent experience or former course work in any of the required common core courses through successful completion of examinations prepared and graded by the core course committees. Students who fail a core course are not permitted to earn credit by examination for the failed course. Students who wish to earn credit for core courses by examination must obtain approval from the associate dean for academic programs. With approval of the departmental faculty, credit in three or fewer courses (totaling no more than 6 s.h.) may be awarded upon successful completion of final examinations in program elective courses. Foreign Language Incentive Program The University's Foreign Language Incentive Program (FLIP) gives entering engineering students two options for earning college credit. Option 1: Entering students who place into a fifth-semester language course and complete the course with a grade of B-minus or higher receive 4 s.h. of exam credit for the fourth-semester course. The credit is ungraded but may be counted toward the hours required for graduation. Incentive credit is not granted for college course work for which credit has been received. Students are eligible for incentive credit only during their first and second registrations at The University of Iowa. Option 2: Students may receive 2 s.h. of exam credit for earning a grade of B-minus or higher in a first-semester-level course in a foreign language different from the language used to satisfy the foreign language requirement. They may earn another 2 s.h. for completing the second-semester-level course in that language for a grade of B-minus or higher. For details about FLIP for engineering students, visit the college's web site (under Current Students/Student Records Information/Exam Credit). For more information on eligibility and restrictions, consult the Student Development Center. Credit from Other Colleges Course requirements in engineering may be satisfied with credit earned in courses taken in other University of Iowa colleges or at other accredited colleges or universities. When students apply for admission to the College of Engineering, they must submit official transcripts from each college attended along with their application for admission. After the credit has been certified by the Office of Admissions as college-level work from an accredited institution and after admission has been granted, the credit is evaluated by the Student Development Center either before or during the student's first semester of enrollment in the college. Satisfaction of engineering course requirements by transfer course work may be approved by the Student Development Center if, course-by-course, there is a match in the content and level of the transfer courses, and if the grades earned for such courses are C-minus or higher. Students who want to satisfy the engineering General Education Component (GEC) (social sciences and humanities) requirements or The University of Iowa rhetoric requirements by transfer work must follow the College of Engineering General Transfer Credit Guidelines. Students planning to attend a two- or four-year institution before transferring to the College of Engineering should discuss the planned transfer with officials at both schools before embarking on a transfer program. The College of Engineering has recommended transfer course lists for most Iowa community colleges and some four-year colleges. Once students are enrolled in the College of Engineering, they must have prior approval for course work taken at other institutions. For details about transfer credit for engineering students, including recommended transfer course lists and taking course work at other institutions, visit the college's web site (under Current Students/Student Records Information/Transferring Credit to Iowa). By policy of the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, a student may apply a maximum of 64 s.h. of transfer credit earned at a two-year college toward the 128 s.h. required for the B.S.E. However, transfer credit from a two-year school in excess of 64 s.h. is used in computing grade-point average and may be used to satisfy course requirements, even though the semester hours cannot be counted toward the total required for graduation. A grade of C-minus or higher is required in order for transfer credit to be applied toward a degree requirement. Course Substitutions For students in the College of Engineering, the substitution of an alternate course for a required course requires the approval of a petition. Permission for Course Substitution forms are available on the college's web site (under Current Students/Student Records Information/Forms) or at the Student Development Center. The form must be completed by the student and must be approved by the student's advisor and by the chair of the academic department in which the student is majoring. If the petition involves a required engineering core course or a General Education Component (social sciences or humanities) course, then it also must be approved by the Student Development Center. Substitutions for required engineering core courses should be made infrequently and only under compelling circumstances. Substitutions of courses that are required by the student's program are governed by the faculty of that program; approval of these course substitutions is needed only from the faculty advisor and the department chair. All petitions must be forwarded to the Student Development Center for inclusion in the student's permanent file. Auditing Courses Students in the College of Engineering may register for a course for zero credit (audit) with the permission of the course instructor and the advisor. The mark of R is assigned to students registered for zero credit if attendance and performance in the course are satisfactory; if unsatisfactory, the mark of W is assigned. Courses completed with a mark of R do not meet any requirements nor do they carry any credit toward graduation. Auditing may not be used as a second-grade-only option. To register for a course on an audit basis, students must obtain the instructor's authorizing signature and their advisor's signature and must register for 0 s.h. To change registration from audit to credit or from credit to audit, a drop-add form is used. These changes must be made during the first three weeks of a semester or the first one-and-one-half weeks of a summer session. Misconduct, Complaints Student Academic Misconduct Policies regarding cases of cheating or plagiarism are outlined on the College of Engineering web site (http://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/current-students/academic-misconduct.php) and are included in Policies and Regulations Affecting Students, on the University's Division of Student Services web site (http://student-services.uiowa.edu/students/policies/index.php). In cases of cheating on an exam or quiz, the policy recommends that the instructor reduce the student's grade, including the assignment of F for the course. When a course grade has been reduced to an F, the student may not drop the course or use the second-grade-only option to eliminate the failing grade. At the beginning of each semester, course instructors individually announce and explain their policies on acceptable levels of collaboration between students on graded work, which includes homework assignments, and lab or design projects. When a policy is violated, a zero is assigned for the total portion of the course grade allocated to the requirement in which the violation occurs. The instructor sends a written report of any disciplinary action to the office of the dean and the report is placed in the student's file. Students are notified by the office of the dean of any disciplinary action reported and are informed of appeal procedures. Student Complaints Concerning Faculty Actions In cases where complaints do not involve alleged student academic misconduct, students with complaints against engineering faculty members first should attempt to resolve the issue with the faculty member; see the college's web site (under Current Students/Student Procedures). Lacking a satisfactory outcome, the student should discuss the matter with the chair of the faculty member's department. Students who are uncomfortable dealing directly with a faculty member or a department chair may seek assistance from the engineering faculty ombudsperson when attempting to resolve a complaint related to an engineering course. Students taking nonengineering courses should seek assistance from the University ombudsperson. However, grievances generally can be satisfactorily resolved most expeditiously at the faculty or chair level. If students are not satisfied with the outcome of this procedure, they should discuss their complaints with the dean of engineering.

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