This page is designed to help you navigate important processes and procedures in the College of the Liberal Arts. Use this information as a reference, but always schedule an appointment with your academic adviser prior to acting on these procedures.
Academic Standing and Recovery
Information for students whose grade-point average is currently—or is in danger of falling—below 2.00.
Change of Campus
Undergraduate degree-seeking students admitted to the University as a first-year student may begin at one of twenty Penn State campuses. All of these campuses generally provide the basic foundation courses required of first and second-year students. Students must contact Admissions if they want to request a change of campus their first semester.
Credit Acquisition
Credit acquisition is contingent upon the policies set forth by the College of the Liberal Arts and the University for earning credits toward degree completion. Guidelines below highlight various credits acquisition methods. The Undergraduate Admissions Office determines which credits will transfer to the University, whereas the academic unit to which the student has been admitted determines how credits will be used to fulfill degree requirements in a student’s program of study.
Repeating Courses
Starting Summer 2021, policy C-7 is being enforced where a student may repeat a course only if they earned a grade below a “C”. The University has set the number of repeats on a particular course to two attempts. Students who need to take a course for a 3rd time should contact their academic adviser. Course repeat requests must be submitted at least 10 university business days prior to the first day of classes of the semester for which the student wants to enroll.
Courses Requiring a Grade of “C” or Higher
To graduate, a candidate must earn at least a “C” grade in GWS/General Writing and Speaking, GQ/Quantification, and courses for the major. The set of “C” required courses for each major is chosen by the faculty of the department offering the major (University Senate Policy 82-44).
Credits with Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory and Pass/Fail Grades Do Not Count for the Major or General Education Requirements
The College of the Liberal Arts only accepts credits with satisfactory/unsatisfactory (SA/UN) grades or pass/fail grades toward electives. Students enrolled in Liberal Arts must enroll in all courses for other requirements as a letter grade. https://senate.psu.edu/policies-and-rules-for-undergraduate-students/47-00-48-00-and-49-00-grades/#49-60
Limitations on Source and Time for Credit Acquisition
As a degree-completion requirement, Liberal Arts requires 24 credits of course work in the major to be taken at the location or in the college or program where the degree is earned (Policy 83-80 Limitations on Source and Time for Credit Acquisition). Particular courses within the 24 credits are not to be specified, except for a senior seminar or capstone course required for the given major.
Credit by Examination
Penn State students may earn credit for a course to fulfill degree requirements by earning a grade of “C” or higher on a comprehensive examination made available through the academic unit that offers the course. This examination is a substitute for completing the usual requirements of a course. Credit by examination is at the discretion of the student’s department. Please contact the department for which you want to earn the credit to learn more.
Credit by Portfolio
Credit by portfolio is for students who feel they have gained knowledge equivalent to what they would learn in a specific course and wish to earn credit through the submission of a portfolio.
Dean's List
In recognition of academic excellence, selected students are named to the Dean’s List (policy G8) each semester.
- Undergraduate students only (includes nondegree, degree-seeking provisional and degree).
- Credit load requirement see policy G8.
- Semester GPA of 3.50 or higher.
- Satisfactory/unsatisfactory, and audit courses are not included in the determination of GPA or credit load.
- A Dean’s List notation will appear on the student’s grade report and on the student’s academic record.
Declaring or Changing a Major
A student desiring to change from one college to another, or from one major to another, or from the Division of Undergraduate Studies to a college, (policy 37-30) may do so by using the following resources to carefully investigate the new major before making a change:
- Academic Advising Centers at University Park or other campus locations
- Division of Undergraduate Studies (814-865-7576)
- Career Services (814-865-2377)
The College of the Liberal Arts requires students to gain entrance into a major at the beginning of either the student’s third or fourth semester and no later than prior to the beginning of the fifth-semester classification. A student who fails to gain entrance to a major prior to the fifth-semester classification may be required to disenroll from the college at the discretion of the dean. (policy 54-56.1)
In order to declare a major, students must meet the following criteria:
- 29.1 credits completed
- 2.00 cumulative grade-point average
- 2.00 grade-point average in courses completed toward the major
In addition to the above criteria, students interested in Economics (B.A. and B.S.) must fulfill the following additional requirements prior to declaring this major:
- ECON 102 completed with a grade of “C” or better
- ECON 104 completed with a grade of “C” or better
In addition to the above criteria, students interested in Political Science (B.S.) must fulfill the following additional requirements prior to declaring this major:
- MATH 110 or MATH 140 completed with a grade of “C” or better
- PLSC 309 completed with a grade of “B” or better
In addition to the above criteria, students interested in Psychology (B.A. and B.S.) must fulfill the following additional requirements prior to declaring this major:
- PSYCH 100 completed with a grade of “C” or better
- STAT 200/PSYCH 200 completed with a grade of “C” or better
- 3 credits of GQ (not including STAT 200) completed with a grade of “C” or better
- 3 credits of GS (not including PSYCH 100) completed with a grade of “C” or better
In addition to the above criteria, students interested in Social Data Analytics (B.S.) must fulfill the following additional requirements prior to declaring this major:
- MATH 140, MATH 141, and CMPSC 131 and CMPSC 132 completed with a “C” or better
- PLSC 309 completed with a “B” or better
These criteria can generally be met in the first year of study. To begin the declaration/change of major process a student must meet with an academic adviser in that department to review the requirements. You can then update your major using the “Update Academics” feature in LionPATH.
Declaring or Canceling a Concurrent Major
Penn State’s Concurrent Majors Program allows students to pursue two or more baccalaureate degrees simultaneously, graduating with both at the same time. Students must meet all entrance/graduation requirements for each major, usually initiating the process via “Update Academics” in LionPATH after admission to the first major.
Declaring or Changing a Minor
Students wishing to declare a minor must use the “Update Academics” feature in LionPATH. Intent to pursue a minor may be declared after you have achieved at least third-semester classification (29.1 credits) or have been accepted into your major, but prior to the end of the late drop deadline of your final semester. View a list of current minors at the University.
Exceptions to Degree Requirements
For students seeking permission to deviate in any way from academic program requirements. This may include students who did not complete their first-year seminar requirement.
Per Senate Policy 82-60, you are expected to satisfy all University degree requirements that were in effect when you first scheduled a class after your admission or most recent re-enrollment as a degree candidate. Requirements for a program, such as major, minor, option, honors, etc., are those in effect at the time of your admission or most recent re-enrollment into that program.
If you wish to deviate in any way from program requirements, you must have permission from the college’s dean. Permission should be obtained prior to enrollment in the course being proposed for substitution. Meet with your academic adviser to discuss your request and to learn how to get permission. If your academic adviser believes that the request is appropriate and meets the intent of the requirement, they will submit an electronic course substitution request. An email will be sent to both you and your academic adviser once a decision has been made.
Guidelines for Considering Course Substitution
- The course to be substituted should be in the same area as the required course or in a closely related area.
- Substitution of a course for a previously failed required course is seldom granted.
- Failure to schedule a required course is not sufficient reason for granting permission for a course substitution. *
First-Year Seminar Substitution Process
Students in the College of the Liberal Arts who do not complete a first-year seminar in their first year at Penn State must meet with their academic adviser to propose a course substitute to fulfill the degree requirement.
Course Eligibility
- Must be successfully completed with a final grade
- Must be a small class (fewer than fifty students)
- Cannot be a large lecture with a small breakouts
Instructions
To have a course reviewed for substitution, you must meet with your academic adviser and detail how the course satisfies at least three of the active learning elements below.
- Active use of writing, speaking, and other forms of self-expression
- Opportunity for information gathering, synthesis, and analysis in solving problems
- Engagement in collaborative learning and teamwork
- Application of intercultural and international competence
- Dialogue pertaining to social behavior, community, and scholarly conduct
Grade Forgiveness
Beginning with the summer 2020 semester, Penn State is implementing a new grade forgiveness option for undergraduate students. Under this new policy, if a student earns a D or F grade in a course but then repeats the course and earns a better grade, the original grade can be forgiven. If a grade forgiveness request is approved, the original course still will appear on the student’s official transcript, but will not earn credit or count towards the student’s term or cumulative GPA. Students can access the Grade Forgiveness Request form online in LionPATH by choosing “Grade Forgiveness” under “Academic Records”. The form is only available to degree-seeking undergraduate students after a course has been repeated and a grade posted, where the original grade was a D or F.
Leaving the University
Students should carefully consider all the consequences to leaving Penn State before they complete the process. There are ramifications for financial aid, loan repayments, and health insurance. Consult with your academic adviser if you are considering leaving the University.
Major/Minor Combination Restrictions
Students cannot have the following combinations:
- You cannot earn a minor in the same area for which you are majoring.
- You cannot double major in any combination with these three: Political Science, International Politics, and Social Data Analytics.
- Adding a Global Security minor to an International Politics major with the National Security option is not allowed.
- You cannot minor in Political Science with an International Politics or Social Data Analytics major.
- A B.A. in Russian with an EEST minor is only allowed if Russia is not the language.
Petitions
When students have not followed a policy listed in the Policies and Rules for Undergraduate Students and believe an exception to the policy may be warranted, they may submit a petition to the Senate Committee on Education for consideration.
Re-enrollment
Students who wish to return to Penn State as an undergraduate student after missing at least one fall or spring semester may submit a request to do so. The process for returning is based on a student’s status when they were last enrolled.
Transfer Credits for Graduating Students
In order to be included on the College of the Liberal Arts graduation list and program, all credits from courses taken at institutions other than Penn State (transfer credits) must be taken prior to the semester of graduation. In addition, the credits must appear on the student’s Penn State record prior to the first day of the month preceding the month of graduation. For spring graduation, transfer credits must post to the student’s record by no later than April 1. The deadline is July 1 for summer graduation and November 1 for fall graduation. For more information, please consult your academic adviser.
Walking at Commencement
With the significant number of students graduating each spring, space limitations at the Bryce Jordan Center mean that participation in the ceremony must be limited to students who have officially completed all academic requirements and are approved for graduation.
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