Scholastic Information

A few of the scholastic policies in place at TSTC Harlingen are described below. For a complete description of all academic policies, students are encouraged to consult the current edition of both the College Catalog and Student Information Handbook.

Academic Year

The academic year at Texas State Technical College Harlingen consists of three full 16-week semesters: Fall, Spring and Summer. In addition to the full 16-week summer semester, two short summer sessions are scheduled, primarily for offering general education support courses.

Registration for Classes

Pre-registration for classes typically begins approximately eight weeks prior to the beginning of the semester. Technical students are encouraged to meet with an advisor in their technical program of choice prior to pre-registration. Students taking general education transfer courses are encouraged to pre-register at the Academic Advisement Center located in Room 224 of the Science and Technology Building. Arena registration is available at the Texas State Technical College Field House the day before classes begin. Late registration is also conducted at the Field House on the first class day of the new semester.

Course Load

Students in good standing will register for a course load equivalent to that specified for the program. They may register for less than a normal load, but must maintain a minimum of 12 credits to be considered a full-time student, 9 credits for time, 6 credits for time and 3 credits for time. With the approval of the faculty advisor, students may register for a maximum of 20 credits. Enrollment for more than 20 credits requires approval from the department chair and the Vice President for Student Learning.

Adding or Dropping Courses

Students who wish to add or drop a course or make a section change must obtain a Course Schedule Change form from the Office of Admission and Records. If a course is dropped on or before the twelfth class day, no grade will be given. The class will be deleted from the schedule. If a student drops a class after the twelfth class day, a grade of "W" will be given. Students may drop classes through the twelfth week of the semester. The last day to drop is published on the college calendar.

All add, drop and section changes must be on file in the Office of Admission and Records. The transaction is not valid until the student returns the form to this office. The official date for the transaction is the date the Office receives the form. All refunds are based on the date that is noted on the form.

Withdrawal from the College

Students are considered enrolled in the College when they have registered for classes and paid their tuition and fees or have made arrangements with the Business Office for a payment plan. Students who have officially registered for classes must complete the proper withdrawal procedures before any refunds will be granted. Students who fail to complete the official withdrawal process and stop attending classes will not given the grade of "W."

Courses Repeated for Credit

If a student repeats a course, that course may not be counted for additional credit. It is the policy of TSTC to count only the last grade received in a course, whether passing or failing, as part of the students cumulative grade point average. However, the transcript will include all courses taken by the student while at TSTC. Courses in which a grade of "B" or higher is received may not be repeated. Any course repeated in which a student already earned at "B" will not count toward the course load status determination of that student.

Credit by Examination

TSTC Harlingen awards credit to students based on the successful completion of an examination for credit. A student wishing to seek credit by examination may do so upon approval of the Department Chair prior to enrolling in the course, or up to the 5^th class day after enrolling in the course. The student must not have received a grade in the course previously. The student may attempt an examination for credit for an individual course only one time. Students will be charged $48.00 per semester hour prior to taking the examination.

Freshman Seminar Course

Texas State Technical College Harlingen offers a non-credit, thirty-two hour course focusing on critical college survival skills and techniques.

This course, DORI 0100, is required in the first semester of all full- and part-time students. For technical program students, passing the Freshman Seminar is a requirement for graduation.

Exemptions to this requirement are as follows:

Students who have at least 12 hours of college credit and a 2.0 GPA.

Students who have taken a similar course at another college and passed it.

Students who have a degree or certificate from an accredited college.

Students taking less than six hours of course instruction.

Non-degree and non-certificate seeking students.

Course Substitutions

Course substitutions must be approved by the department chair and Vice President for Student Learning. Substitutions are not official until the Course Substitution Form is received in the Office of Admission and Records. Course substitutions are determined on an individual basis and must be on file by the time the student wishes to graduate.

Change of Major

Students who wish to change majors must obtain the Change of Major Form from the Office of Admission and Records. Students may change majors between semesters or prior to the fifth class day of a new semester. Students changing majors must secure the approval of both department chairs concerned.

TSTC Harlingen Grading System

The following grades represent varying degrees of achievement and carry the following significance and grade points:

A = 90-100% Excellent/Superior performance level (4 grade points/hour)

B = 80-89 % Above required performance level (3 grade points/hour)

C = 70-79% Minimum required performance level (2 grade points/hour)

D = 60-69% Below required performance level (1 grade point/hour)

F = 0-59% Failure to meet performance level (0 grade points/hour)

Medical Information Specialist/Transcriptionist, Surgical Technology, Health Information Technology, Nurse Assistant, Dental Hygiene, Dental Assistant, Medical Assisting, and Emergency Medical Technology use the following grading scale:

A = 93-100%

B = 86-92%

C = 78-85%

D = 70-77%

F = 0-69%

The following grades may appear on transcripts, but they are not included in the calculation of grade point averages:

P = Pass (0 grade points per hour)

IP = In progress (0 grade points per hour)

W = Withdraw (0 grade points per hour)

AUD = Audit (0 grade points per hour)

Students must receive a letter grade of "C" or better in each major course. A temporary grade of "IP" may be given which indicates a student has satisfactorily completed a course with the exception of a major quiz, final examination, or other work. This grade will be given only when the deficiency is due to authorized absence or other cause beyond the control of the student and when the quality or work completed has been acceptable for satisfactory completion of the course. A student must complete the required work within the period of time agreed upon by the instructor and student to remove the "IP." After one year, the "IP" will be administratively converted to an "F." Students must repeat a course in which a letter grade of "F" was received.

Mid-term Grades

Students who earn a mid-term grade of "D" or "F" in a course will be notified by mail. It is expected that this notification will alert students of the importance of seeking supplemental instruction or another academic support service throughout the remainder of the semester so as to earn a passing final grade for the course.

Participation Policy

The criteria, standards and levels of performance for each course must be specified for each course by the instructional program and communicated by the instructor to the students on the course information sheet. Faculty members may consider student participation in specific learning activities when determining final grades, provided students are informed of the required activities at the beginning of the course. Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the student to attend lecture and laboratory sessions in accordance with requirements of the course as established and communicated by the faculty member. Faculty members cannot drop or award grades of "W" for students based on non-attendance. Students who fail to meet performance requirements for the course within the allotted time frame will receive a grade of "F."

Changing a Grade on the Transcript Record

Student grades are among the most important records kept by TSTC. Policies and procedures ensure the privacy and integrity of student grade records and, at the same time, provide students a process to appeal final course grade decisions. The student transcript is a historical document that should reflect actual grades from the time they are assigned and should not be changed or removed without specific justification and approvals. The following procedures should be used to request a grade change:

The Change of Grade Form must be used for the purpose of altering grade on a students transcript records.

The reason for changing a grade recorded on a students official transcript must be provided in writing on the Change of Grade Form and must be signed by the students instructor and the department chair.

Only the Admission and Records Office may make the actual change to a students transcript record.

A copy of the Change of Grade Form shall be placed in the students permanent file for audit purposes.

Any change must be made within one year of the issuance of a grade.

A grade may be changed due to an error; student completion of coursework previous graded "IP,"or due to a finding, supported by fact, and documented by an appropriate member of the administration or an appeal committee operating in accordance within established college procedure.

A grade cannot be changed to a "W" (Withdrawal) unless in conjunction with an administrative late drop or withdrawal from the college that is approved in accordance with college operating procedures.

Grade Point Average

The Cumulative Grade Point Average is used for determining scholastic standing and is computed by dividing the total number of grade points by the total number of credit hours for all courses taken with grades recorded as A, B, C, D, or F, except developmental education courses.

The Term Grade Point Average is calculated in the same way as the Cumulative Grade Point Average except that only courses from each term are included in the calculation. The Term GPA is also used for determining scholastic standards and term scholastic honors.

The Standards of Progress Grade Point Average is calculated in the same way as the Term Grade Point Average although developmental education classes are included in the calculation. This GPA is used to determine a students continued eligibility to receive financial aid.

The Standards of Progress Cumulative Grade Point Average is calculated in the same way as the Cumulative GPA except that developmental education classes are included in the calculation. This GPA is also used to determine a students continued eligibility to receive financial aid.

The Program Grade Point Average is calculated in the same manner as the Cumulative GPA except that only courses applicable to the students current program are counted in the calculation. Such courses may include academic courses, technical support courses and technical courses. The students Program GPA will be used for calculation of graduation requirements and graduation honors in the current program.

Scholastic Standing

The scholastic standing of each student is designated as being one of the following: Good Standing, Scholastic Alert, Scholastic Probation, Scholastic Suspension.

Good Standing. A student who maintains minimum 2.00 cumulative and term grade point averages.

Scholastic Alert: A student in good standing whose cumulative or term grade point average is below 2.00 at the end of an enrollment period. This is an early warning for the student that he or she has academic problems. A student is removed from scholastic alert when the cumulative and term grade point averages return to 2.00 or higher.

Scholastic Honors

TSTC Harlingen publishes the Presidents Honor Roll and Vice President for Student Learnings Honor Roll each semester. For guidelines to earn this recognition, consult the TSTC Harlingen Student Information Handbook.

Scholastic Honesty

TSTC expects all students to engage in academic pursuits in a manner that is beyond reproach. Students will be expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in their experiences in the classroom and/or laboratory. Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty is subject to disciplinary action as outlined in the TSTC Harlingen Student Information Handbook.

Revised:  02/12/2004