You are in the official 2008-2009 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.

Academic Placement

Classification of Students

Student class levels are determined as follows:

Freshmen. Students who have earned a total of fewer than 30 semester units.
Sophomores. Students who have earned a total of 30 to 59 semester units inclusive.
Juniors. Students who have earned a total of 60 to 89 semester units inclusive.
Seniors. Students who have earned 90 semester units or more.
Postbaccalaureate/Graduates. Students who have at least one bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.

Advanced Placement. The Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board permits able high school students to take college-equivalent courses while in high school, and, based upon comprehensive qualifying examinations, receive advanced placement and credit at participating universities and colleges. This university grants credit toward its undergraduate degrees for successful completion of examinations of the Advanced Placement Program of the College Board. Students who present scores of three or better are granted from 3 to 6 semester units of college credit for each examination. In order to receive credit for these examinations from California State University, Fresno, students must request an official copy of their test results directly from the College Board.

Credits earned through advanced placement are not included among the maximum of 30 units of credit by examination that may be credited toward a bachelor's degree.

 

Test	Score	Units	Subjects
American History	3,4,5	6	HIST 11, 12
Computer Science AB	3,4,5	6	CSCI 40*
English Lit/Comp	3,4,5	6**	ENGL 5B and 10, 20
English Lang/Comp	3,4,5	6**	ENGL 5B and 10, 2
Math Calc AB	3,4,5	6	MATH 75***
Math Calc BC	3,4,5	6	MATH 75, 76
U.S. Gov't & Politics	3,4,5	3	Pol Sci Elective

Official scores may be obtained from:
Advanced Placement Examination
P.O. Box 6671
Princeton, NJ 08541-6671

For more information, contact the Evaluations Office, Joyal Administration Building, Room 115.

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* Remaining 2 units in lower-division Computer Science electives.
** If English Lit/Comp and English Lang/Comp are passed, then a maximum of 9 units is allowed for ENGL 5B and 10, 2, and 20.
*** Remaining 2 units in lower-division Mathematics electives.

International Baccalaureate. Credit is granted for International Baccalaureate Higher Level examination passed with a score of 4 or higher. Contact the Evaluations Office, Joyal Administration Building, Room 115, for further information.

English Placement Test. The EPT is designed to assess the level of reading and writing skills of entering undergraduate students so that they can be placed in appropriate baccalaureate-level courses. The CSU EPT must be completed by all entering undergraduates, with the exception of those who present proof of one of the following:

• A score of "Exempt" on the augmented English CST, i.e. the CSU Early Assessment Program (EAP), taken in grade 11 as part of the California Standards Test.
• A score of 550 or above on the verbal section of the College Board SAT taken April 1995 or later.
• A score of 680 or above on the re-centered and adjusted College Board SAT II: Writing Test taken May 1998 or later.
• A score of 24 or above on the enhanced ACT English Test taken October 1989 or later.
• A score of 3, 4, or 5 on either the Language and Composition or the Composition and Literature examination of the College Board Advanced Placement program.
• Completion and transfer to the CSU of a course that satisfies the General Education-Breadth or Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) written communication requirement, provided this course was completed with a grade of C or better.

Students who cannot demonstrate basic competence on the EPT exam are required to enroll in ENGL 1L in conjunction with ENGL 5B and 10, or if they are nonnative speakers of English, in LING 6. ENGL 1L must be completed with a credit grade by the end of the first year of enrollment.

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* Beginning in May 1998, SAT II: Writing Test scores were increased about 10 to 20 points. The adjustment was made to make writing test scores more comparable to scores on other SAT II subject tests. Although scores are higher, their relative rank compared to scores for tests taken before May 1998 remain the same.

Entry-level Mathematics Exam. The ELM examination is designed to assess the skill levels of entering CSU students in the areas of mathematics typically covered in three years of rigorous college preparatory courses in high school (Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry). The CSU ELM must be completed by all entering undergraduates, with the exception of those who present proof of one of the following:

• A score of "Exempt" on the augmented mathematics California Standards Test, i.e. the CSU Early Assessment Program (EAP), taken in grade 11.
• A score of 550 or above on the mathematics section of the College Board SAT or on the College Board SAT Subject Tests-Mathematics Tests Level I, IC (Calculator), II, or IIC (Calculator).
• A score of 23 or above on the ACT Mathematics Test.
• A score of 3 or above on the College Board Advanced Placement Calculus examination (AB or BC) or Statistics examination.
• Completion and transfer of a course that satisfies the General Education -- Breadth or Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) quantitative reasoning requirement, provided the course was completed with a grade of C or better.

EPT and ELM. These tests must be taken and scores must be received prior to enrollment.

It is the students' responsibility to confirm exemption from either the EPT or ELM exam by contacting the Admissions/Records Office, North Lobby, Joyal Administration Building.

Information bulletins and registration materials for the EPT and ELM may be obtained from the Office of Testing Services.

Credit by Examination. Students may challenge courses by taking examinations developed at California State University, Fresno. Credit shall be awarded to those who pass them successfully. Credit by examination is designed to encourage regularly enrolled students to seek college credit in courses in which they have competence but for which credit has not been earned by the usual academic processes. This permits students to accelerate their progress and provides an opportunity for wider selection of coursework. The following procedures should be followed:

1. With the concurrence of the department, students may apply for credit by examination in any course in our current General Catalog for which they appear to be reasonably qualified by training or experience and for which college credit has not been previously allowed. Credit by examination is not awarded if credit has been granted for previous coursework more advanced than the level represented by the examination in question. Credit by examination is not allowed in courses in which students have been permitted to register as auditors during the same semester, in which students have received a failing or no credit grade, or in which they have unsuccessfully sought credit by examination.
2. Students enroll for credit by examination at any time during the first two weeks of classes. Students must be regularly enrolled in other courses before they are granted permission to earn credit by examination. Units of credit by examination are counted as part of the total units registered for a given semester or term. Applications for credit by examination must be completed by students and approved by the respective departments.
3. The examination must be administered by the end of the fourth week of instruction, and the instructor must report the grade prior to the close of the sixth week.
4. The course in which students request credit by examination is so designated on their record. Students will receive a credit (CR) grade if the examination is passed with a C or higher grade. If they are unsuccessful, a no credit (NC) grade is reported. Units earned count toward all appropriate requirements but are not used in computing their GPA.
5. The number of units earned by credit by examination in any semester or term may not exceed the number of units completed in regular enrollment. A maximum of 30 units earned by examination may be counted toward a bachelor's degree.

Credit earned by examination does not meet the residence requirement of the university. For further information, consult the department concerned. See also Advanced Placement.

Graduate Students. Credit by examination for coursework may be used to fulfill prerequisites only and may not be applied toward the total units required for a master's degree.

Independent Study. Independent study is offered to give students experience in planning and outlining a course of study on their own initiative under departmental supervision. Independent study should deal with a special interest not covered in a regular course or with the exploration in greater depth of a subject presented in a regular course. Each department has an independent study upper -division course (190). In addition, some departments have a lower-division course (90) and/or a graduate-level course (290).

To be eligible for independent study, students should have an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher. This requirement may be waived in exceptional cases, when approved by the department chair. Maximum credit of 6 units in independent study courses is allowed toward the bachelor's degree, and maximum credit of 6 units in independent study courses may be approved for use toward a 30-unit master's degree. Such credit is limited to a maximum of 3 units per semester. Under extraordinary circumstances more than 3 units per semester may be allowed on petition to the department chair.

Eligible students desiring to register for Independent Study must first obtain the consent of an instructor, who will guide the project, and the chair of the department in which the course is given. Students must register for Independent Study courses during the regular registration period in the same manner as they register for any other course at the time of registration.

An independent study course normally includes an oral examination by a committee set up by the supervising instructor, a formal report that is filed in the department office, and an abstract of the study that is filed with the department chair. Approval forms and copies of the current regulations may be obtained from department, school, or college offices. The entry on the permanent record shows the discipline and course number only; the title does not appear.

Credit for Noncollegiate Instruction. This university grants undergraduate degree credit appropriate to the baccalaureate degree for successful completion of noncollegiate instruction, either military or civilian, that has been recommended by the Commission on Educational Credit and Credentials of the American Council on Education. The number of units allowed are those recommended in A Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experience in the Armed Services and the National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs.

Credit for Military Service Coursework. A lower-division elective credit is given for recruit training for initial entry into the service providing the student was on active duty for at least one year and one day. Credit given varies depending on the branch of service and date of entry. An applicant for credit must submit a copy of Notice of Separation (DD214) to the Evaluations Office.

DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support) maintains the educational records of the servicemen and women who have completed SSTs (Subject Standardized Tests), CLEP (College Level Examination Program) examinations and GED tests. DANTES has also maintained USAFI (United States Armed Forces Institute) transcripts since that organization ceased to exist in 1974.

College credit is awarded for acceptable SST scores as recommended by DANTES. Equivalency for SST credit is determined by our departments. Other credits recommended by DANTES (CLEP, etc.) must meet university guidelines for the awarding of credit for those examinations. DANTES/USAFI correspondence credit is combined with other extension or correspondence coursework to a maximum of 24 semester units.

Additional credit is granted for military courses as recommended in A Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services. A maximum of 30 units is allowed for military credit.

College Level Examination Program. The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is designed to be a means through which recognition, academic credit, and placement may be given for less conventional forms of educational experience. Those who may have reached a college level of education through home or correspondence study, on-the-job training, television courses, or by other means may take the CLEP examinations, which are offered by the College Entrance Examination Board. They are now offered only as computer-based tests and are available through Testing Services on campus.

Within the restrictions of systemwide policy, this university awards up to 6 units of credit for successfully completed CLEP examinations. Such credit is applied to the total units required for the baccalaureate degree, but it is not applied to the General Education requirement. Not all CLEP examinations are acceptable under system policy. It is the responsibility of the student to check with the appropriate department to determine whether it accepts CLEP credit. This should be done prior to taking the CLEP exam.

Credits earned through CLEP are included among the maximum of 30 units of Credit by Examination that may be credited toward a bachelor's degree. For additional information, call Testing Services, 559.278.2457.

Upper-Division Writing Examination. The UDWE is administered by the university and may be used to satisfy the upper-division writing skills requirement. One unit of credit may be granted (ENGL 100W) to registered undergraduate students upon request. This unit may be applied toward the 40 upper-division unit degree requirement and total units for the baccalaureate degree but cannot be applied toward the 30 residence unit degree requirement or for postbaccalaureate credit. For details, call Testing Services, 559.278.2457.

Intrasystem and Intersystem Enrollment Programs. Students enrolled at any CSU campus will have access to courses at other CSU campuses on a space available basis unless those campuses or programs are impacted. This access is offered without students being required to be admitted formally to the host campus and sometimes without paying additional fees. Although courses taken on any CSU campus will transfer to the student's home CSU campus as elective credit, students should consult their home campus academic advisors to determine how such courses may apply to their degree programs before enrolling at the host campus.

There are two programs for enrollment within the CSU and one for enrollment between CSU and the University of California or California Community colleges.Additional information about these programs is available from Enrollment Services 559.278.2191.

• CSU Concurrent Enrollment ­ matriculated students in good standing may enroll at both their home CSU campus and a host CSU campus during the same term. Credit earned at the host campus is reported at the student's request to the home campus to be included on the student's transcript at the home campus.
• CSU Visitor Enrollment ­ matriculated students in good standing enrolled at one CSU campus may enroll at another CSU campus for one term. Credit earned at the host campus is reported at the student's request to the home campus to be included on the student's transcript at the home campus.
• Intersystem Cross Enrollment ­ matriculated CSU, UC, or community college students may enroll on a "space available" basis for one course per term at another CSU, UC, or community college and request that a transcript of record be sent to the home campus.
  
  

Academic Regulations

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