Academic Credit and Classification of Students
Credit and Competency Standards
By meeting competency standards as described below,
students are excused from taking some courses to satisfy the
General Education requirements.The awarding of
competency does not carry academic credit. Rather, it gives
students more program flexibility by increasing their number
of elective courses and allowing them to move to higher
levels of study at a faster pace if they wish. If a student elects
to take a course for credit after being awarded competency
for that course, the competency is removed (except in
foreign language).
Biology Competency may be attained in Biology 101 by
satisfying either of the following requirements: (1) a score of
3 on the Advanced Placement Test, or (2) a score of 630 on
the SAT II Test in Biology and no secondary school grade
lower than a "B" or its equivalent in a biology course.
Chemistry Competency may be attained in Chemistry 101
by satisfying either of the following requirements: (1) a score
of 3 on the Advanced Placement Test in Chemistry, or (2) a
score of 630 on the SAT II Test in Chemistry and no
secondary school grade lower than a "B" or its equivalent in
a chemistry course. Competency may be attained in
Chemistry 111 by scoring in the 50th percentile or better on
the ACS Exam in General Chemistry. For competency in
advanced courses, a student must score in the 50th percentile
or better on the appropriate ACS Exam. Credit for
Chemistry 111 will be granted to candidates with a score of
4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Test in Chemistry.
English Competency in General Studies 101 may be
granted for the achievement of any one of the following: (1)
a score of 3 on the Advanced Placement Examination in
Language and Composition or in Composition and
Literature; (2) a score of 680 on the SAT II Test in English
Composition together with a score of 600 on the SAT I:
Verbal, or a score of 660 on the SAT II Test in English
Composition together with a score of 670 on the SAT I:
Verbal; (3) a score of 670 on the SAT I:Verbal and no
secondary school grade in English lower than a "B" or its
equivalent; (4) a score of 620 on the SAT I:Verbal together
with a ranking in the upper one-fifth of the secondary
school graduating class. Credit for General Studies 101 may
be granted for the achievement of a score of four or five on
the Advanced Placement Examination in Language and
Composition or in Composition and Literature.
Foreign Languag e Competency for the 101 and 102
courses in a foreign language will be awarded to students
who earn: (1) a minimum score of 570 on the SAT II
Subject Test in a foreign language or (2) a score of 3 on the
Advanced Placement Test. Attainment of competency for all
elementary and intermediate level foreign language courses
(101, 102, 201, or 202) may also be determined on an
individual basis by considering standardized test scores, a
personal interview, and scores on a placement test
administered by Foreign Language faculty at Roanoke
College. Students who successfully complete the 102-level
foreign language course will be awarded competency at the
101-level. Students who successfully complete the 201-level
foreign language course will be awarded competency at the
101 and 102-level. Academic credit in a foreign language
will be awarded for a score of four or five on the Advanced
Placement Test.
History Competency may be attained in United States
History and/or Western Civilization by satisfying either of
two requirements: (1) a score of 3 on the Advanced
Placement Test, or (2) a score of 590 on the SAT II Test and
no secondary school grade lower than a "B" or its equivalent
in American or World Civilization courses.
Mathematics Competency may be attained in Mathematics
121 with a score of three on the Calculus AB Advanced
Placement Test. Competency may be attained in Mathematics
121 and Mathematics 122 with a score of 3 on the Calculus
BC Advanced Placement Test. Credit for Mathematics 121
will be granted to a candidate with a score of four or five on
the Calculus AB Advanced Placement Test. Credit for
Mathematics 121 and Mathematics 122 will be granted to a
candidate with a score of 4 or 5 on the Calculus BC
Advanced Placement Test.
Competency may be obtained in Mathematics 111 with a
score of 80 percent on the competency test developed and
administered by Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics
department.The test will be administered during the
orientation period preceding the beginning of classes for the
Fall term. Requests to take the test must be made in writing
to the chair of the MCSP department.
Competency for all other mathematics courses will be
determined on an individual basis by considering secondary
school grades, standardized test scores, and scores on
examinations administered by Roanoke College.
Music Competency may be attained in Music 150 with a
minimum of one year of high school theory, with a grade of
"B" or better.
Physics Competency may be attained in Physics 101 by
satisfying either of these two requirements: (1) a score of 3 on
the Advanced Placement Test, or (2) a score of 650 on the
SAT II Test in Physics. Competency in advanced physics
courses may be determined on an individual basis upon
completion of an examination administered by the
department.
Physical Education Competency will be granted in one
team sport or one individual sport through a full season of
varsity intercollegiate participation. Competency will also be
awarded (golf, tennis, swimming, racquetball, bowling,
badminton) for successful completion of both a written rules
and practical performance exam administered at a scheduled
time during orientation at the beginning of each Fall term.
The exam is open only to new students during their first full
term.
Political Science Competency may be attained in American
National Government (Political Science 102) by satisfying
either of these two requirements: (1) a score of 3 on the
Advanced Placement Test, or (2) a grade of "A" in a
secondary school advanced placement American Government
and/or Comparative Government course. Credit for
American National Government (Political Science 102) may
be granted if the candidate scores 4 or better on the
appropriate Advanced Placement Exam.
Advanced Placement and Credit
Roanoke College grants advanced placement and unit credit
on the basis of the Advanced Placement Tests of the College
Entrance Examination Board, the College Level Examination
Program (CLEP), and the International Baccalaureate Higher
Level Examination for courses which normally would be
introductory for new students at the College. Generally, on
the Advanced Placement Test the candidate who scores 3 will
be granted competency. Unit credit will be granted if a
candidate scores a 4 or 5. For the International Baccalaureate
Higher Level Examinations, the candidate who scores a 4 will
be granted competency, and unit credit will be granted if a
candidate scores 5, 6, or 7. Students scoring a "C-" (or
equivalent) or higher on the College Level Examination
Program test will receive unit credit. However, no student
may accrue more than eight units of credit through Advanced
Placement tests, College Level Examination Program tests,
International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examinations,
and/or Credit by Examination. Specific information can be
obtained from the Associate Dean/Registrar.
Credit by Examination
Currently enrolled and former students of the College may
stand for examination in a course provided they fulfill
conditions which allow such examinations. A student who has
previously enrolled in, failed, audited, or unofficially attended
a course may not stand for examination in it. An examination
may not be given in a term when the course is offered. No
more than one credit by examination may be taken during
any term.Also, no student may accrue more than eight units
of credit through Advanced Placement tests, International
Baccalaureate Higher Level Examinations, Credit by
Examination, or College Level Entrance Program tests. The
approval of the instructor, the chairperson of the department
offering the course, and the Associate Dean/Registrar must be
obtained. A special fee is charged and must be paid prior to
taking the examination. For credit to be obtained in a given
term, the examination has to be administered no later than
three weeks prior to the beginning of the regularly scheduled
examination period of the Fall and Spring terms or one week
prior to the regularly scheduled examination period of the
Summer session.
Transfer Credit
Credit for academic work completed elsewhere will be
accepted by official transcripts from regionally accredited
colleges and universities if the courses are appropriate to the
academic curriculum of Roanoke College. At least 17 of the
total units required to graduate from Roanoke College
(excluding physical education activity courses and cocurricular
learning and service) must be earned at Roanoke
College. At least one-half of the minimum number of units
required for a major must be completed at Roanoke College.
After a student has registered with Roanoke College, degree
credit will be granted only for elective courses and, in
exceptional cases, up to a total of two units in the student's
major or minor or concentration taken at another institution.
Approval for courses taken in the major, minor, or
concentration must be obtained in advance from the
departmental chairperson and the Registrar. Approval will not
be granted for courses previously failed at Roanoke College.
Credit will be granted for work in which a grade of "C-" or
higher has been earned; transfer grades will neither appear on
the Roanoke College transcript nor be used in calculation of
the cumulative or major grade point average. Exceptions to
these policies may be made in extenuating circumstances as
approved by the Panel on Admissions, Re-Admissions, and
Appeals.
Through long-standing, consortial agreements with Hollins
University and Wagner College, Roanoke College will grant
academic credit for courses appropriate to a Roanoke College
program, including grades and quality points, to those regular
students who, with the approval of the appropriate advisor or
departmental chairperson and the Office of the Registrar,
enroll in a course at either institution, assuming that the
courses concerned are not currently available to the student
through Roanoke College.
There are additional conditions and limitations on transfer
credit for persons seeking a second degree. (See "The Second
Bachelor's Degree" section.)
Degree credit will not be granted to a student for courses
taken at any institution when the student is in a status of
suspension or expulsion from Roanoke College or from any
other college or university.
Units and Credit for Courses
Most regular courses carry one unit of credit, though some
offer only one-half unit of credit. Research and honors
projects may be taken for either one or one-half unit of
credit. Applied music, music ensembles, physical education
activities and theatre workshops carry one-quarter unit of
credit. Co-Curricular Learning and Service carries oneeighth
unit of credit per term. The College recommends that
a unit be considered the equivalent of four semester hours for
transfer purposes.
Classification
The classification of students is determined according to the
number of units earned. Classification as a freshman means a
student has earned fewer than eight units.
Classification as a sophomore requires a minimum of eight
units earned; as a junior, a minimum of 16 units earned; and
as a senior, a minimum of 25 units earned. The
determination will be made at the end of each term.