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Policies and Procedures

Find policies and procedures for the Saint Louis University College of Arts and Sciences here.

CAS Core "Double Duty"

A single course may not fulfill more than one SLU College of Arts and Sciences core requirement. Exceptions are diversity in the U.S. and global citizenship courses, which may do "double duty" by satisfying another core, major, minor or certificate requirement.

CAS Core Substitution

Students seeking a substitution for coursework in the College of Arts and Sciences core due to the functional impact of a disability must be registered with the Center for Accessibility and Disability Resources. Once you have registered with the Center for Accessibility and Disability Resources, the following process must be followed:

  • Make a written request to your academic advisor explaining the need for the substitution.
  • The academic advisor will request the documentation you’ve provided and a written recommendation about the substitution from the Center for Accessibility and Disability Resources.
  • Your written request and the Center for Accessibility and Disability Resources' recommendation will be reviewed. Additional faculty and staff input may be solicited.
  • Approval or disapproval of the substitution request will be communicated to you and your academic adviser. If approved, specific substitutions will be identified and the advisor will initiate paperwork, as appropriate.

Substitutions may be granted for the foreign language* and math core components. Other elements of the core have no viable substitutions that allow for core learning objectives to be fulfilled.

*Courses substituted for foreign language may not count toward other core, major, or minor requirements.

updated July 16, 2018

Foreign Language Proficiency 

Students at Saint Louis University can prove foreign language proficiency through the following methods:

  1. An approved score on an Advanced Placement (AP) exam.  [more]
  2. An approved score on an International Baccalaureate (IB) exam. [more]
  3. An approved score on an American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) test at approved score. The ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview, or OPI, is required. (*)  [more]
  4. An approved score on the Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFR) assessment.   [more]
  5. The minimum equivalent score on any test/evaluation (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS, etc.) used to evidence English language proficiency for University admission. This option is only available to international students with citizenship from countries in which English is not the primary language.

(*)Those interested in proficiency testing in languages not available via ACTFL (e.g., Latin, Ancient Greek, etc.) should contact the Dept. of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures.

Foreign Language proficiency via any of the above methods must occur not later than the achievement of 60 credit hours (90 credit hours for transfer students).

Updated 12/8/2017

Grade Appeals

The following procedures are available only for review of alleged capricious grading, and not for review of the judgment of an instructor in assessing the quality of a student's work. Students may appeal a grade only for one or more of the following reasons:

  1. Miscalculation of grade.
  2. The assignment of a grade to a particular student on some basis other than performance in the course.
  3. The assignment of a grade to a particular student by more exacting or demanding standards than were applied to other students in that section.
  4. The grade assigned results from different standards than the criteria for performance and evaluation outlined in the course syllabus.

The Right of Fair and Equal Evaluation of Students

The assessment of the quality of a student's academic performance is one of the major professional responsibilities of university faculty members and is solely and properly their responsibility. It is essential for the standards of the academic program at Saint Louis University and the integrity of the degrees conferred by this University that the professional judgments of faculty members not be subject to pressures or other interference from any source.

It is necessary, however, that any semester grade be based on evidence of the student's performance in a course, that the student has access to the evidence,  that the instructor be willing to explain the basis upon which the grade was determined, and that a grade be determined in accordance with announced guidelines.

Appeal Procedures

Students must initiate a grade appeal within 90 days of the date that the course grade was posted.

The grade appeal process must be resolved within one calendar year of the initiation of the appeal.

  1. The student shall confer with the instructor (in person or in writing),  informing the instructor of questions concerning the grade and seeking to understand fully the grounds and procedures the instructor has used in determining the grade. The aim of such a conference is to reach mutual understanding about the grade, the process by which it was assigned, and to correct errors, if any, in the grade.
  2. If, after consultation with the instructor, the student believes that a grade is capricious, the student will confer with the Chair of the Department in which the course was offered. The Chair will consult with the instructor and the student separately or together in an attempt to reach a resolution of the matter.
  3. If the matter remains unresolved, the student will submit a written appeal request with supporting evidence (if relevant) to the Chair. The Chair will convene an intra-departmental grade appeal committee consisting of the Chair and two faculty members. The student's written appeal request will be considered and the instructor will also respond to the student's petition in writing. The grade appeal committee will interview both the instructor and the student; and subsequently, the committee will recommend either that the grade was not assigned capriciously and shall stand or that the grade may have been assigned capriciously and the matter merits further consideration. The recommendation of the departmental grade appeal committee will be communicated to the student, the instructor, and the Dean by the Departmental Chair.
  4. If the matter has not been resolved to the satisfaction of the student and the instructor, either may petition the Dean to convene an ad hoc grade appeal subcommittee to consist of two faculty members of the College of Arts and  Sciences from outside of the instructor's department and the Dean or his/her representative.
  5. This subcommittee shall recommend to the Dean either that the grade should stand, or that it should be changed; and shall notify both the student and the instructor of its recommendation. The Dean shall then render a decision and notify all parties of his or her action *.

* a written record should be kept at all stages of the appeals process

Protection of the Instructor's Rights

The decision of a grade appeal subcommittee will neither be used as a cause for any disciplinary action nor dismissal of a tenured faculty member or a non-tenured faculty member before the expiration of a contract period. Nor shall a decision, by itself, be a basis for any other disciplinary action. Any disciplinary actions shall be in accordance with regular University procedures. All evidence considered by a grade appeal subcommittee shall be made available to anybody who may be considering disciplinary action concerning an instructor whose grading has been found by a grade appeal subcommittee to be capricious. That body shall make an independent determination based upon its own consideration of all evidence, irrespective of the findings of the grade appeal subcommittee.

October 10, 2017

Internship Protocols

Internship Protocols
(Graduate and Undergraduate)

In order to ensure the quality of the student learning experience and compliance with accreditation and Department of Labor requirements, students (graduate and undergraduate) must accomplish the following in order to be registered for an internship in the College of Arts and Sciences:

  1. Work with the academic department/program to identify an internship site.
  2. Request an “Experience” in Handshake using the College of Arts and Sciences Experiential Learning Report Experience Type at least two weeks prior to the start of term (not later than the end of drop/add period for term). A guide to requesting an Experience can be found here (PDF). Make sure that you communicate to your faculty advisor and site supervisor that they will be receiving a request to approve your Experience in Handshake.
  3. After your Experience has been approved in Handshake, you will be asked to complete the following forms using DocuSign:
  • The College of Arts and Sciences Learning Contract: Please complete the required fields in DocuSign. DocuSign will then route the form to your site supervisor and your faculty advisor for approval.
  • An Internship Acknowledgment of Risk and Release for elective internships

Once your contract and acknowledgment/release are completed in DocuSign, they will be forwarded to the Registrar and you will be enrolled by the Registrar in your internship course.

Please Note: Internship work must occur in the same term as the registration for internship credit. Credit for internship work (prior or future) outside of the term of registration is not permitted.

Major/Minor Declaration

Students may not pursue a major and minor/certificate or minor and certificate within the same academic discipline without departmental permission.

Petition for Reinstatement

Students dismissed from the University may petition for reinstatement by submitting the Petition for Reinstatement form.

Students may be reinstated with specific conditions for continued enrollment. Failure to meet the conditions specified may result in cancellation of registration and academic dismissal.

Probation Status Expectations

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences who are granted academic probation status are required to meet with their assigned academic advisor during the entire probationary period and to earn grades that improve their cumulative grade point average.

Failure of student to attend required meetings or fulfill the terms of the probation contract established with their academic advisor will negatively impact consideration for continued enrollment. Failure to meet the conditions established may result in a registration hold, registration cancellation, and/or academic dismissal.

Summer/Winter Enrollment Limits

At Saint Louis University:

Students enrolling in courses in the summer or winter semester at Saint Louis University are limited in the number of total and concurrent courses.

For courses that meet between one and four weeks, students are limited to one course, not exceeding four credits, or courses that total four credits in the winter intersession.

[Exception: zero-credit labs that accompany for-credit lecture courses do not count toward the course limit.]

For courses that meet more than four weeks students are limited to two courses, not exceeding eight credits, or courses that total eight credits in any single summer session/term.

Students are limited to two courses, not exceeding eight credit hours, or courses that total eight credits in overlapping summer sessions/terms.

Students on academic probation may enroll in no more than one course/four credits in any single summer session/term. Enrollment in terms that overlap has a total load limit of one course/four credit hours.

[Exception: zero-credit labs that accompany for-credit lecture courses do not count toward the course limit.]

This policy does not apply to accelerated and required summer programs.

Off-Campus: Approval is required for off-campus enrollment in coursework at other universities/colleges.

There is a 12-credit-hour total limit for summer off-campus enrollment. On-campus overlapping course limits may also be applied to off-campus enrollment.

updated July 16, 2018

Transfer/Prerequisite Coursework 

Coursework taken more than 10 years ago may require review in order to determine if the course will be accepted for transfer or used as a prerequisite.

A student may — at the College's discretion — be required to complete proficiency exams, take additional courses, or repeat selected courses. This policy may also apply to coursework less than 10 years old for disciplines in which the University has determined the body of knowledge or its interpretation have undergone significant change.