Structure of an Undergraduate
Degree Program

University Graduation Requirements – 53 units
(unless exempt (e.g., PE) or met within the major)
•
•
•
•
•
Core Lower Division GE [39 units unless met within AI or major]
Upper Division GE [9 units unless met within major]
American Institutions (AI) [6 units]
Physical Education [0-2 units]
GWAR (100W) [0-3 units]
Preparation for the Major – units vary by major
 Requirements of the Major – units vary by major
 University Electives – remaining units to reach 120
 TOTAL Earned Units (UE) for Degree – 120

G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S
Minimum Requirements for an
Undergraduate Degree Program
Total Earned Units (UE) = 120
 Total Upper Division Earned Units (UE) = 40
 Total non-community college Earned Units (UE) = 50
 Total Units in Residence (at SJSU) = 30
 GPA for Majors, Minors, SJSU Cum, & All Coll ≥ 2.0

• 4 Basic Skills must each be passed with “C or Better”
• GE Areas A1 (Oral Comm), A2 (Written Comm), A3 (Critical Thinking & Writing), &
B4 (Mathematical Reasoning)
• UD GE must be passed with an aggregate GPA of ≥ 2.0
• GWAR (100W) must be passed with a “C or Better”
• Departments may require specific courses or all courses in a
major to individually have grades of “C or Better” but cannot
require a grade higher than “C” for any graduation requirement
G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S
G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S
Managing Enrollments in YOUR Courses

Prior to the First Day of Classes (Advance Registration)
 Registration Appointments set by campus policy
 Only Regularly Enrolled students on their first
attempt may register (prior “W” grade does not
prevent advance registration)
 Restrictions on registration may be placed by major
departments (e.g., student must be a major, or must
have certain prereqs)
G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S
Managing Enrollments in YOUR Courses

Beginning the First Day of Classes (Add Codes required)

Policy Mandates for Add Codes




Regular students prior to Open University students
Graduating Seniors on first day of classes – identified by
AARS “graduating senior cards”
Enforcement of prerequisites may be used to exclude
regular students or graduating seniors (if those
prerequisites are enforced uniformly for all students)
University enforced prerequisites for SJSU Studies =
Upper Division GE (Areas R, S, V) and GWAR (100W)



Writing Skills Test (WST) requirement satisfied
Upper Division Standing (UE ≥ 60)
Add codes will NOT override
G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S
Managing Enrollments in YOUR Courses

Beginning the First Day of Classes (Add Codes required)

Optional Priorities (may be set by department; should be
consistent for multiple sections of the same course)




Checking Prerequisites – generally not PS enforced




1st time takers > 2nd time takers >> 3rd time takers
(3rd attempt requires a manual petition process)
Major > Non-Major (for courses in the degree program)
Class Standing (Sr > Jr > So > Fr)
Check with department to see if prerequisite is PS enforced
Therefore, this is an instructor responsibility
Strategies to do this quickly and easily
Instructor Drops

OK for any student lacking prerequisites or failing to show up or
contact instructor by 2nd class meeting
G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S
Students Repeating Courses

Only permitted if



Repeating a “C or Better” = an “illegal repeat”



1st time < C
Course is designated “repeatable for credit”
Blocked by PS at SJSU
Includes repeats of articulated courses at community college(s)
Grade Forgiveness (GF)


2nd attempt (GF2) replaces 1st attempt (GF1)  even if the 2nd
attempt is lower
There are policy limits on GF (16 units) but PS cannot enforce
(yet!); total repeats limited (28 units) with exceptions by petition
G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S
Assigning Course Grades

Greensheet Policy (F06-2)



Attendance per se may not be used as a criterion for
grading, however grading based on participation is OK
List of the % weight assigned to various class
assignments
How letter grades for the course will be determined
G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S
Assigning Course Grades (S09-7)

Incomplete grades (“I”)





Assign only when a clearly identifiable portion of the
course requirements cannot be met due to unforeseen,
but fully justifiable, reasons
Do not assign when it is necessary for a student to attend
a major portion of the course when it is next offered
Conditions for removal of the “I” should be specified in
writing and given to the student, and may not include
retaking previously completed portions of the course
If no work is completed within one year, “I” automatically
reverts to “IC” (Incomplete Charged = F for GPA
purposes)
An extension of the incomplete for a 2nd year should be
rare
G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S
Assigning Course Grades (S09-7)

Withdrawal (“W”) and Unauthorized Withdrawal (“WU”)




An instructor cannot assign an “W” grade; these result from an
approved late (prior to the last day of classes) or retroactive
(after the last day of classes) course drop or semester
withdrawal
A “WU” grade should be used when a student does not officially
withdraw, but fails to complete sufficient assignments of
activities to assign a grade
“WU” = “F” = “IC” for the purposes of computing GPA
“CR/NC” grading (not the choice of the instructor)



For undergrad courses, CR means C or Better (not C-)
For grad courses, CR means B or Better (not B-)
SJSU does not use P/NP grading (meaning D- or Better)
G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S
Change of Grade (not resulting from
formal appeal through Student Fairness)


“The basic principle underlying changes of grade is that all
students be treated fairly and be given equal opportunities to
demonstrate their academic learning and earn course grades
representing that learning. Application of this criterion
precludes the assignment of extra credit unless such
assignments were made known and available to all students in
the class. It further precludes re-judgment, afterthought, or
reconsideration of an individual’s graded work unless such
opportunity for change of grade is made equally available to all
students in the class.” (S09-7)
Justifiable reasons include an error in grading an assignment
or course component; or a clerical, computational,
transcriptional, or other administrative error that is unique to
the student and not a systemic error that might have applied to
others in the class. If systemic, then ALL eligible students
should have the benefit of a similar change of grade.
G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S
Student Petitions

For Undergraduate Students (managed by GUP)
http://www.sjsu.edu/ugs/students
For petitions – http://www.sjsu.edu/ugs/students/petitions/list

For Graduate Students (managed by GUP)
http://www.sjsu.edu/gradstudies/student_portal

Course Drop & Semester Withdrawals (AARS)
http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/forms

For Enrollment & Graduation issues (Registrar)
http://www.sjsu.edu/registrar/forms/index.html
G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S
Internships, Service Learning and SJS4
EO 1062 (field trips) and EO 1064 (internships) set risk
and accountability requirements for all off campus
activities where students earn academic credit.
 SJS4 is a system wide data management site that tracks
partner contracts, placement agreements, student
learning plans, and assessment
 New campus internship policy will come to Senate in F15.
 Each college has a faculty representative on the
Internship Faculty Advisory Committee (IFAC)

G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S
Admissions


Enrollment Services manages minimum criteria &
supplemental impaction criteria for First Time Frosh (FTF) and
Upper Division (UD) Transfers (exceptions include “Special
Admits” and non-California residents)
Former Students Returning (FSRs) may have “front-of-the-line
priority” if the department approves a student’s FSR Petition;
an approved FSR Petition also permits students to be admitted
to a Spring admission cycle that is closed to new CA residents.
 FSR deadline for Fall admission = Jan 15 of same calendar year
 FSR deadline for Spring admission = Sep 30 of prior calendar year
 If a student left SJSU in Disqualified status, an approved
Reinstatement Petition is prerequisite to acceptance of the
approved FSR Petition
G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S
Contact Information
Stephen Branz
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies
Office of Graduate & Undergraduate Programs
Office: ADM 159
Phone (direct): 4-2443
Phone (office): 4-2447
Email: stephen.branz@sjsu.edu
G R A D U AT E A N D U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S