Academic Credit and Classification of Students

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 Language Competency for the 101 and 102 courses in a foreign language may be attained by 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 Foreign Language Advanced Placement Test. (Academic credit in a foreign language will be awarded for a score of four or five on the Advanced Placement Test.) Competency will be determined otherwise on an individual basis by scores on an examination administered by Roanoke College and a personal interview. Students who successfully complete the 102- or 103-level foreign language course will be awarded competency at the 101-level. Students who successfully complete the 201-level foreign course will be awarded competency at the 101 and 102-level.

If competency is received at the 101 level in Latin, the student must: (a) complete one term of study in a modern language; or (b) be judged competent at the 101 level in a second, modern language; or (c) complete an additional term of study in Latin (Latin is available to Roanoke College students through a cooperative program with Hollins University).

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 two years 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.

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 co-curricular 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, Readmissions, 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 one eighth 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 8 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.