Daytime classes meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (MWF schedule) for 50 minutes each day or Monday and Wednesday (MW) or on Tuesday and Thursday (TR schedule) for 80 minutes each day. Laboratories are generally scheduled separately and vary depending on the course.
The minimum enrollment required to declare a college credit class "made" is 18 unless justification for smaller classes is provided or the administration deems a smaller class to be in the best interest of the College.
The College reserves the right to discontinue any course listed on the schedule for insufficient enrollment or for other reasons in the best interest of the College.
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A change of schedule is not valid until both Registrar's Office and Business Office personnel process a drop-and-add slip. Students will not be permitted in the new class until they obtain a copy of the drop-and-add slip, with receipt recorded by the Business Office, to take to the instructor so that their names can be added to the roll.
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Withdrawal from the College or from a Class
Procedure for Students in College Credit Courses: Students who find it necessary to withdraw from the College or drop a class should complete a form in the East or West Campus Registrar's Office. To drop a course, students must adhere to the deadlines that appear in the calendar at the front of this catalog.
With the passage of Senate Bill 1231 in the 2007 Legislative session, students entering college for the first time beginning with or after the Fall 2007 semester are not permitted to drop more than six courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at another public institution of higher education in Texas. There are exceptions to this policy if the student can show good cause for dropping a course(s) at Del Mar College. For further information, please contact the Office of Admissions and Registrar.
Students on financial aid should contact Financial Aid Services prior to dropping a course or completely withdrawing from school.
If a student stops attending class without officially withdrawing from the College, then the grade is an automatic "F."
Procedure for Administrative Action: The Administration may drop a student for excessive absences, misconduct, disruptive behavior, or other reasonable cause, but a student will have due process. The student may seek the advice of the Vice President of Student Development about proper procedure. The College assumes that students eligible to enter college are familiar with the ordinary rules governing proper conduct. Students subscribe to the Standards of Student Conduct Policy and other Board policies.
Students whose general behavior reflects adversely upon the College will not be permitted to remain.
Instructors with evidence of students' plagiarism or other forms of cheating will follow the procedures outlined in A7.13.6.4 of the Board of Regents Policies and Procedures Manual, Penalties for Dishonest Behavior. A recommendation by the faculty member to suspend and/or dismiss a student from the College for academic dishonesty must be submitted through the department chair to the academic dean. The appropriate academic dean will convene an Academic Ethics Committee prior to suspending/dismissing the student to afford the student due process and to present both sides of the situation.
Instructors may withdraw a student from class for lack of attendance or other academic reason. Students who are withdrawn from a class may appeal to the instructor by first obtaining a Reinstatement Form from the Office of Admissions and Registrar and presenting it to the instructor. If satisfactory arrangements can be made between the student and instructor, readmissions to the class will be permitted upon the instructor's completion of the Reinstatement Form. The completed form must be returned by the student to the Registrar's Office within five working days from the receipt of the drop notice but no longer than 10 working days from the date of the drop by the instructor.
In instances of alleged student misconduct in the classroom, an instructor may drop a student from one or all classes. Students who have disagreements not directly related to the assignment of a grade(s) may follow the procedure outlined in A7. 12.3 General Academic (Non-Grade) Complaint to appeal the withdrawal. The Vice President of Student Development shall review the complaint procedure with the student.
If withdrawal is initiated for any other reason than those stated, a student must have had the opportunity to discuss the matter with the instructor, the department chairperson, or the dean of the division to afford the student due process.
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Permission to audit a course or courses may be granted by the Office of Admissions and Registrar to individuals who are eligible for admission to the College and who either already have credit in the course or courses or do not wish credit for the work.
Students may audit a course on a space-available basis and are required to pay the full tuition and fees at the time of registration.
Tuition and fees for auditing are the same as those rates charged to students enrolled for credit.
Since auditors are only observers, students auditing a course may not under any circumstances claim credit for the course. Change from credit to audit status must be done before the 12th class day in the long session and before a proportional period of time in the summer and short sessions.
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To be classified as full-time, a student must register for a minimum of 12 semester hours. To complete a program in two years, the degree/certificate plans in this catalog suggest how many semester hours a student must take each semester. According to the Texas Administrative Code, students should not carry more courses in any term than would equal more than one semester credit hour per week over the course of the term. For example, in the Fall or Spring semester, students should not enroll in more than 16 semester hours. In a six-week Summer session, students should not enroll in more than 6 semester hours.
It is important that students balance their personal lives with their education. Students who are employed or who are seeking employment are cautioned to consider carefully the amount of college work they attempt in relation to the number of hours they are employed. A combination of too many semester hours and employment frequently results in poor grades. Two to three hours of preparation outside class time are necessary for each hour of class time, so for every 10-15 hours per week of employment, one fewer course should be taken.
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Regular and punctual class and laboratory attendance is expected of all students. A record of attendance may be kept by instructors, beginning the first day of class meeting. If attendance is unsatisfactory, the instructor may request withdrawal of a student from class. The Registrar will notify the student of the action taken by the instructor. If a student desires readmission, he or she should initiate the following procedure:
If the student does not carry out the above procedure, the withdrawal of the student from the class is final. If a student who has been reinstated into a class is absent thereafter without excuse, the instructor may request the final dismissal of the student from class.
Only certain absences are ruled valid and tolerable, such as participation in recognized student activities of the College or illness.
Students who miss an accumulated total of more than two weeks within one semester (or more than one week within a six-weeks' summer session) and whose academic performance is not satisfactory should drop the course themselves.
Specific regulations apply to health sciences students. Students enrolled in these programs should review these regulations with the specific health discipline administrator.
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Absences on Religious Holy Days
In accordance with Texas Education Code 51.911, the College shall excuse a student from attending classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day, including travel for that purpose. A student whose absence is excused under this subsection may not be penalized for that absence and shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment from which the student is excused within a reasonable time after the absence. "Religious holy day" means a holy day observed by a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property taxation under the Tax Code.
Notifications of planned absences must be in writing and must be delivered by the student, not later than the 15th day after the first day of the semester, either (a) personally to the instructor of each class, with receipt of the notification acknowledged and dated by the instructor or (b) by certified mail, return receipt requested, addressed to the instructor of each class.
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Graduation Requirements for All Degree and Certificate Students
Students planning on graduating should meet with an advisor the semester before they plan to graduate to make sure they have met all graduation requirements.
DISTANCE LEARNING NOTE: Fewer than 50% of a student's credit hours toward a degree or certificate may be taken as Distance Learning courses (online courses, videoconferencing courses, etc.).
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Graduation is held twice a year, in May and in August. Only those who have completed all of the graduation requirements will be permitted to graduate. Students who meet all of their graduation requirements in the fall semester are entitled to attend the May graduation ceremony.
Students are required to apply for graduation at the Office of Admissions and Registrar on the East or West Campus by the deadline for the semester in which they intend to graduate. The deadlines are as follows:
| Graduation Date | Deadline to Apply |
| May | February 28 |
| August | June 30 |
| December | October 31 |
Each graduate is encouraged to participate in the graduation ceremony. The regalia for graduation must be purchased by the student. Information on the purchase of the regalia will be provided to the graduate at the time of application. Diplomas are mailed to the graduates approximately three weeks after the semester ends.
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To graduate with honors, a student must meet the following overall grade point average: Cum Laude = 3.7; Magna Cum Laude = 3.8; Summa Cum Laude = 3.9-4.0. The honors designation is notated on the transcript and the diploma.
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