Admissions

Applicants who have already graduated from high school and who have not taken the SAT or an equivalent test will be required to score at the college level in English, mathematics, and reading on the IUPUI placement tests to be eligible for direct admission to SPEA in Indianapolis.

Policies Governing the Undergraduate Program

Grading Policies  SPEA follows the official grading system of Indiana University, which is as follows:

Good Academic Standing Students are in good academic standing when their semester and their cumulative grade point averages are 2.00 or above, and their grade point average in all courses counting in the SPEA core and major/concentration requirements is at least 2.30. Students must be in good academic standing to graduate.

Acceptance of Grade Replacement SPEA students who have retaken a previously failed course (must be the same department and course number) may request to have only the last grade computed in their grade point average, provided it was a passing grade. The original F will be replaced by FX. Requests will be honored only for a maximum of five courses totaling no more than 15 credit hours. In the event a course is failed twice, only one F can be removed.

Forgiveness Policy This policy applies to former IU students pursuing a first undergraduate degree who have been away from the IU system and have not attended any other college or university, including any campus of IU, for the last five years. This policy first becomes available to students returning to SPEA in the fall of 1996. Students must apply for forgiveness upon application for admission to a degree-granting unit. If the student has not yet been admitted to a degree-granting unit, the student should submit a notification of intent to petition for academic forgiveness as part of the academic advising process. If the petition is approved, the student starts with a fresh, cumulative grade point index, after which all the rules of academic probation and dismissal (for SPEA) will apply. The school will evaluate the student’s transcript, and all courses taken previously will remain on the permanent record. Only credit hours for courses with grades C or above, or P and S may be counted toward degree completion. After approval, the students must complete a minimum of 32 credit hours on the IUPUI campus after his or her return in order to meet the graduation residency requirement.

Probation Students will be placed on academic probation if their cumulative or semester grade point average is below 2.00 or their SPEA core and major/concentration GPA falls below 2.30. In order for the core and major/concentration GPA to be considered, students must have completed 12 or more credit hours in the core and major/ concentration.

Critical Probation After one semester on probation, students who fail to return to good academic standing will be placed on critical probation. At the discretion of the undergraduate program director, these students could be dismissed. If a student is given the opportunity to enroll under critical probation, SPEA will establish strict conditions that must be met before that student will be allowed to register for future classes.

Dismissal Students can be dismissed if they fail to return to good academic standing after one semester on critical probation. Students also may be dismissed if, in the opinion of the undergraduate program director, they are not making satisfactory progress toward their degrees.

Re-admission Dismissed students must petition their campus undergraduate program director for re-admission. Dismissed students whose petitions are denied will not be allowed to register.

Grade Appeals Students generally have one year to appeal a grade given by a SPEA faculty member. Resolution of the issue with the class instructor must be attempted before submitting a written appeal to the appropriate program director.

Student Rights and Responsibilities These provide for due process in the event of disciplinary or other actions and are explained in detail in the student handbook, Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct. In accordance with federal law, student records are confidential and are available to other persons only under specific conditions as outlined in university regulations. Students are responsible for planning their own academic programs and for meeting the requirements for their degree or certificate programs. Faculty and academic advisors are obligated only to assist students in meeting this responsibility.

Academic Integrity This is a basic principle requiring that students take credit only for ideas and efforts that are their own. Academic dishonesty violates that principle and undermines the bonds of trust and cooperation among members of the university community. Penalties and procedures that are applicable when academic misconduct or dishonesty occurs are provided in the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct. The policy on academic dishonesty is also published each semester in the Bloomington Schedule of Classes.

Bulletin Policy Students are expected to complete the requirements for their undergraduate degree within 10 years of admission to the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Students are allowed to continue beyond this time period only at the discretion of the undergraduate program director or campus director. If a student has not taken classes for three years or more, that student must satisfy program requirements of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs in effect at the time of re-activation. Requests for deviation from requirements listed in the bulletin must be approved in writing by the program director, whose decision is final.

Hours Requirements Students must successfully complete a minimum of 120 credit hours for most of the Bachelor of Science degrees and a minimum of 60 credit hours for the Associate of Science degrees. The campus at which a student completes the plurality of required course work will award the degree, provided that campus is authorized to grant the degree/major/concentration and that the student has been admitted to that campus. Students may transfer no more than 90 credit hours (60 credits from a junior college) toward a Bachelor of Science degree or 30 credit hours toward an Associate of Science degree. Class standing, based on total credit hours that count toward minimum degree requirements, is as follows: senior, 86 or more; junior, 56-85; sophomore, 26-55; freshman, fewer than 26.

Grade Point Average Requirement A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 is required for the B.S. and A.S. degrees. In addition, a SPEA core and major/concentration GPA of 2.30 must be maintained in order to graduate. For students seeking certificates or minors from SPEA, the minimum GPA requirement is 2.00 in all applicable course work.

Double-Counting Courses taken to meet a specific degree requirement cannot be double-counted (used to satisfy any other degree requirement).

Application for Degree All students must fill out an application for degree at the SPEA records office on their campus. This application is usually filed six months before the expected graduation date.

Degrees Awarded with Distinction SPEA recognizes outstanding performance by awarding bachelor’s and associate degrees with three levels of distinction to students who rank within the upper 10 percent of their SPEA graduating class and have completed a minimum of 60 hours at Indiana University for a B.S. (30 hours for an A.S.). The levels of distinction are as follows: highest, 3.90 and above; high, 3.70 through 3.89; distinction, 3.50 through 3.69.

Requirements for a Second Bachelor’s Degree Students must petition for approval to work toward a second bachelor’s degree. If permission is granted, students are required to take 30 credit hours beyond the credits used for the first bachelor’s degree and satisfy all the requirements for the second degree. Generally, SPEA encourages students to work toward a graduate degree rather than a second bachelor’s degree.

Available Options A student in good academic standing may choose to take a maximum of eight elective courses (two per academic year) pass/fail for a B.S. degree or two courses for an A.S. degree. Deadlines for exercising this option are published in the Schedule of Classes and are strictly enforced.

With prior approval, a student may take three courses totaling no more than 10 credit hours by correspondence through the IU Division of Extended Studies, Independent Study Program. Under no circumstances may a student satisfy a core or major/concentration requirement by correspondence.

With SPEA faculty approval, a student in good standing may earn a maximum of 15 credit hours of elective credit through the SPEA internship program. The SPEA internship program is described in more detail elsewhere in this bulletin.

The Accelerated Master’s Program is a competitive program for outstanding SPEA students. Students may apply to the Master of Public Affairs (M.P.A.) or the Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.) early in their junior year.

• The Rotterdam Program in the Netherlands (spring)

• The Leiden Program in the Netherlands (fall)

• The Parliamentary Internship Program in Canberra, Australia

All these programs are taught in English, and the IU credit obtained costs the same as it would if students remained on campus. Financial aid that students obtain for their studies is normally applied to these overseas experiences. Experience has taught us that studying abroad does not adversely affect students’ GPAs, increase their cost of study, or delay their graduation.