Academic Rules & Procedures

Academic Code

From the Bulletin of Information (2022-2023), page 18:

"The Undergraduate Academic Code governs the attainment of academic credit and degrees by undergraduate students at the University of Notre Dame. The Academic Council of the University ratifies and retains both authority and responsibility for review and amendment of the Code. Its administration and interpretation fall under the aegis of the Officers, the Deans, and the Registrar of the University. A copy of the Undergraduate Academic Code can be found online in the Faculty Handbook.

In short, the Academic Code is the source of the rules followed by the College of Science and the University as a whole.

Academic Code of Honor

From the Bulletin of Information (2022-2023), page 18:

"The University of Notre Dame is a scholarly community in which faculty and students share knowledge, ideas, and creative works. Notre Dame's Academic Code of Honor expresses our common commitment and moral responsibility to represent accurately to credit the contributions of every individual." 

The Student Guide to the Academic Code of Honor describes the standards of personal academic conduct that all Notre Dame undergraduates pledge to follow and also outlines the set of procedures by which violations of the Honor Code are reported and adjudicated.

Before matriculation, each entering student must pledge: "As a Member of the Notre Dame community, I will not participate in or tolerate academic dishonesty."

Dean's Office

Location: 215 Jordan Hall of Science

Hours: 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday

The person referred to as the "student's dean" in the Academic Code and other regulations is generally one of the Associate or Assistant Deans of the College. In the case of the College of Science, the student's dean is Dan Gezelter, associate dean of undergraduate studies. His administrative assistant is Ms. Lori Goffeney, who is located in 319 Jordan Hall of Science.

Adding a Course

The policy that governs requests to add a course is Sec. 5.3 of the Academic Code of the University:

"For the fall and spring semesters, the registration period in which students may drop or add classes continues for the first six class days. Faculty are required to give a student the opportunity to make up, without penalty, any work missed prior to the student’s registration in the course, provided that the student registers in the course during this registration period. After this registration period, any alteration of the student’s schedule must be approved by the dean (or the dean’s designee)."

During the first six class days, students use the same procedures to add a class as followed during pre-registration, web registration, or registration through special override procedures. In the case of special classes which require permission (e.g., research or music activity courses), students are expected to obtain all required permissions before the end of the sixth class day.

Some courses, e.g., the mini-courses or 1-credit courses, follow schedules different than the regular semester. Such courses can be added on up to the first class day of the course. The appropriate form to use in that case is the Academic Course Change form. The form may be accessed via insideND. The student or his/her advisor can initiate the form. Please follow the instructions as stated on the form.

Dropping a Course

The policy that governs requests to drop a course is Sec. 5.3 of the Academic Code of the University:

"For the fall and spring semesters, the registration period in which students may drop or add classes continues for the first six class days. Faculty are required to give a student the opportunity to make up, without penalty, any work missed prior to the student’s registration in the course, provided that the student registers in the course during this registration period. After this registration period, any alteration of the student’s schedule must be approved by the dean (or the dean’s designee)."

"Alteration of a student’s class schedule after the last day for discontinuance published by the University Registrar requires approval of the student’s dean (or the dean’s designee). Such requests will not be allowed, unless exceptional circumstances (normally, documented mental or physical illness) are present that demonstrate the need to make an exception to avoid inherent inequity, in the sole judgment of the dean (or the dean’s designee). If the student is allowed to drop a class after the last day for discontinuance, then the University Registrar will record a grade of “W” for that class on the student’s official transcript."

During the first six class days, students use the same procedures to drop a class as followed during web registration. After the sixth class day, an e-form must be initiated. The form may be accessed via insideND. The student or his/her advisor can initiate the form. Please follow the instructions as stated on the form.

Sixth Class Day

Why is the sixth class day of each semester special? It is the:

• Last day to add classes.
• Last day to use web registration (until 12 midnight).
• Last day to complete the enrollment form.
• Last day to declare pass/fail.
• Last day to request part-time status.

Overload Requests

The policy that governs requests for an overload is Sec. 5.5.1 & 5.5.1.2 of the Academic Code of the University. Except with special permission of the dean's office, the maximum number of credit hours allowed for an undergraduate student in the College of Science is 18 during a regular semester (8 for summer session). If you want/need more credits, you must wait until after all students have registered to submit an Overload Approval eForm. Overload requests are not reviewed until after all registration windows have completed to allow all students to have access to classes when registering.

• Overloads should be rare, and are usually only granted for students who have been on the dean's list in the previous semester.
• Overload requests that include six or more 3+ credit "courses" will generally not be approved.

If your request is approved and you receive and email message indicating that it has been processed, you (the student) are responsible for adding the class to your schedule before the sixth day of class. This deadline is set by the Registrar's Office and cannot be changed.

There is no tuition increase for students who take an overload schedule.

Part-Time Status

The policy that governs requests to be part-time is Sec. 5.5.2 of the Academic Code of the University:

"An undergraduate degree-seeking student must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours in a given semester to be full-time. An undergraduate student who is in the graduation semester may seek permission of the dean (or the dean’s designee) to be "part-time", if fewer than 12 credit hours are needed to complete the degree. Such requests should be submitted to the dean (or the dean’s designee) for consideration before the sixth day of classes. Under extraordinary circumstances, the dean (or the dean's designee) may waive these requirements."

Here are some details from the associate dean's office of the College of Science:

• Part-time students are those carrying fewer than 12 credit hours in a semester.
• Approval to be part-time is generally only given to students who will complete their degree requirements during the semester.
• If a request is granted, the Associate Dean’s Office will reduce the maximum credit hours allowed for registration. (This action leads to the adjustment in tuition fees, and if applicable, financial aid.)
• In fairness to the other students who are still looking for classes for completion of a schedule, students are asked to make this request prior to the start of the semester.
• Consistent with the Academic Code, the conversion to part-time status must be made during the regular registration period. THUS, NO PART-TIME FORMS WILL BE SIGNED AFTER THE SIXTH CLASS DAY.

For those seniors who want to be part-time but who have not yet requested approval, here are the steps:

• Check carefully which courses are required for graduation.
• Consider carefully the nonacademic ramifications of becoming part-time. For example, some students receive a reduction in fees on their car insurance because they are full-time students. Some scholarships may require that a student be full-time. And, sometimes students must start paying back student loans once they become part-time.
• If you then decide that you want to be part-time, you will initiate the Part-Time Status Request e-form via InsideND. The form will be available through the first five days of classes. On the sixth class day, you have to go to 2015 Jordan.
• Finally, remember that no part-time forms will be signed after the sixth class day.

Pass/Fail

The policy that governs requests to take a course pass-fail is Sec. 3.3.11 of the Academic Code of the University:

"Pass/Fail Option: Junior or senior undergraduates may file with their academic dean (or the dean’s designee), during the first six class days of the semester, the decision to take on a pass/fail basis one course per semester that is classified by the Registrar as a "Standard Grade Mode Course."  The course must be outside the department of the student’s major. Courses taken to satisfy University, college, or major requirements may not be taken on a pass/fail basis. Only the first course in a student's minor track may be taken on a pass/fail basis. Faculty, departments, and colleges may refuse pass/fail requests for selected courses. If approved, the filing is irrevocable and will result in conversion by the University Registrar of the instructor’s final grade report into an entry of “P” (pass) or “F” (fail) on the student’s record. The instructor will not be informed that the student has elected the pass/fail grading option. The University Registrar will interpret the final letter grades of “A” through “D” as pass. These grades will not be computed into the student’s grade-point average. If a final grade of “F” is issued, it will be computed into the student’s grade-point average."

The College has asked the associate dean's office to remind all students of the conditions that must be met before a course can be taken as pass/fail. In response to this, the following is read and signed by science students requesting the Pass-Fail option:

1. The option is open only to juniors and seniors.
2. No required courses may be taken pass/fail. For instance, a theology course cannot be taken pass/fail if you have not already met your 6-hours of required theology. This also includes science electives.
3. The courses must be outside your major department. For instance, math majors cannot take math courses pass/fail, etc.
4. Your filing for the pass/fail option is irrevocable, which means you cannot change your mind at a later date and decide you want a grade for a course.
5. Only one course per semester may be taken pass/fail.
6. If you want to be considered for the Dean's Honor List, you must take at least 12 credit hours for a regular grade (in addition to the pass/fail course).
7. Beware -- some medical and graduate schools may not look favorably at the pass/fail option on your record.
8. During the semester in which your science graduation requirements are fulfilled, an "extra" (concurrent) science course may be taken pass/fail as long as it is outside your major department (See #3.). This is allowed because the "extra" course is not interpreted to be a required course. But this means that you will not be allowed to drop those science courses which are being used to meet the graduation requirements.

Seniors and juniors make their requests to take pass/fail courses during the first five days of the semester by filling out the Course Pass/Fail Request form online. On the sixth day, students must visit the Associate Dean's Office.

Transfer Course Approval

The following section discusses the process that a science major should follow when requesting approval to transfer a course to the University of Notre Dame.

Transfer Course Pre-Approval Form

The student should obtain approval to transfer the course prior to taking the course. The pre-approval e-form can be accessed via InsideND. This e-form needs to list the course(s) to be taken, will show how these courses will be transferred, and shows that pre-approval was obtained from the appropriate departments. The following are the required signatures for the form:

• Student's signature
• Department's authorization
• Advisor's signature
• Associate dean's signature (obtained after all other signatures)

Be advised that the transfer course approval applies only to the course(s) listed on the form. If a student takes a course other than the one approved it may not be transferred.

The Notre Dame Transcript

After taking the pre-approved course, the student is responsible for requesting that an official transcript is sent back to the Office of the Registrar at Notre Dame. The transcript should be mailed to:

Office of the Registrar

Attn: Josie Martinez

300 Grace Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA

After receipt of the transcript by the Dean's Office, the transcript is matched with the Transfer Course Pre-Approval Form in the student's folder. If the grade earned is "B" or above, then transfer credit is added to the student's Notre Dame transcript. If the grade earned is less than "B," then no transfer credit will be granted.

Science Courses

A Science major is not allowed to transfer Science or Mathematics courses back to Notre Dame. Absolutely no exceptions will be granted.

Other Courses

We advise the student to seek approval first from the offering department. For instance, if a student wishes to transfer an economics course, then the student should first seek approval from the Department of Economics at Notre Dame. The student should bring as much information as possible describing the course for the department. The department may request any or all of the following types of information:

• Name of institution
• Number of hours that the course meets (e.g., bring the summer session schedule)
• Course title
• A bulletin description. This description should include number of credits awarded and how the course is used by students at the institution.
• A course syllabus, if available.

Permission may be refused if the information provided is inadequate for assessing the course.

Reasons for Refusal

The departmental representative and the student's advisor will each be making judgments on the appropriateness of the transfer of a course. In some cases, the request for transfer will not be approved. Reasons for refusal could include the following:

• The course is a requirement of the student's major and is thus not eligible for transfer.
• The course is not of suitable academic quality.
• The course is not of equivalent level to the one taught at the University of Notre Dame.
• The course does not meet for a sufficient number of hours.
• The course is a correspondence course.
• The student has exceeded the number of credits that can be transferred.

Total Number of Credits Transferred

Students are normally allowed to take no more than two courses during a summer session.

Special Notes for First Year Students

First Year of Studies will help science intents fill out the Transfer Course Pre-Approval Form. First-year students who have questions should discuss them with their First-Year Advisor.

Late Approval

Sometimes students decide late to take a transfer course. It is strongly recommended that the student still take the required steps to fill out a transfer course pre-approval form. If the student is at home, he/she should call the dean's office at (574) 631-6375 and ask for help at a distance. As needed, information can be mailed, emailed, or faxed by the student. As the dean's office has time, we will endeavor to help the student secure the required signatures if the course can be approved. The institutional copy and the student's copy will then be mailed to the home address. A student who fails to seek pre-approval risks losing the possibility of transferring credit later.