Academic Regulations

Academic Regulations

In order to insure that students do not have to compete for access to their required courses, registration priority is given to students who are registering for courses in their primary major.  Although the University encourages the exploration of other disciplines, access to courses outside a student's primary major (including those courses that fulfill requirements for an additional major, minor, etc.) is on a space-available basis and is not guaranteed.

Conduct of Classes

Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes unless the instructor explicitly informs the class that other ways of doing the work are acceptable. The action to be taken in regard to tardiness, absence from class or making up late work is the responsibility of the individual instructor; the instructor should consult with the department head and the student's Dean if major action such as dropping the student from the course is being considered.

All classes will be held at their scheduled hour on days immediately before and after all holidays and recesses. Both faculty and students are expected to be present.

Members of athletic teams and other student organizations are permitted to be absent from classes to participate in authorized contests and presentations, either at home or out of town, provided the following conditions are met:

• All work missed must be made up to the satisfaction of the instructor(s) concerned;
• No trip shall involve an absence of more than two days, excluding days when classes are not scheduled;
• The total number of days of absence shall not exceed six per sport or per organization annually;
• Each student will obtain an absence authorization signed by the director or sponsor of the organization involved and by the Dean of Student Affairs. The student will present this authorization to the instructor. This is not an excuse for work missed.

Students who, because of religious beliefs, cannot attend class may arrange as individuals to be absent, provided the work missed is made up in a manner satisfactory to the instructor(s) of the class(es) missed.

No student shall leave a scheduled exercise because of the absence of the instructor until a reasonable time has passed. By tradition, and as a matter of courtesy, a student should wait 10 minutes before leaving.

Degree Requirements

Students are responsible for checking to ensure that the degree requirements (as listed in the appropriate catalog at the time of their matriculation) have been met. They may also refer to the university’s on-line academic audit website www.cmu.edu/hub. If the degree requirements have been modified by College Council action, the student is responsible for checking to ensure that the modified requirements have been met. In order to graduate, students must complete all residence require-ments and all course requirements in their approved curriculums and be recommended for degrees by the faculty of the appropriate college. Such recommendation shall be based upon the good standing of the student in academic and disciplinary matters. No student may receive a diploma until all financial obligations to the university have been met.

Statement on Course Attendance and Enrollment

A student is responsible for the payment of charges incurred at the university by the stated payment deadline. The purpose of this policy statement is to detail the specific process and action steps to be used to resolve any outstanding student account balance.

Students will be held financially and academically accountable for course(s) which they attend or for which they are enrolled. Enrollment in a course which is not actively taken, or contrarily, the taking of a course for which enrollment has not been completed, will result in the assignment of a grade and responsibility for applicable tuition charges.

Students who fail to resolve their enrollment and balances will be prohibited from using university academic and administrative services. The services include, but are not limited to, computing facilities, library services, housing, dining, career center services, degree verification and the release of (official) academic transcripts for the upcoming semester.

Rank in Class

Carnegie Mellon does not rank students by class. Undergraduates at Carnegie Mellon pursue degrees in one or more of our ten schools or colleges. They may choose to pursue coursework, majors and minors within and between schools/colleges. In an institution where students’ educational experiences are so varied, class rank is not a meaningful way to measure achievement. Carnegie Mellon and Enrollment Services will no longer report nor record students’ rank in class, rank in college and rank in department. For those graduate school and/or employment requests that request a students’ rank, they will be completed with the statement “Carnegie Mellon does not report rank in class.”

Undergraduate Course Meetings

Usually, no undergraduate classes, exams, academic, or artistic activities (including extra help sessions, rehearsals, ROTC drill, make-up exams, etc.) are scheduled on weekdays between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. On occasion, some courses may be scheduled during these hours by Enrollment Services when they also are offered at other times: students may elect to take such courses during the 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. period.