Undergraduate Calendar 2011-2012

Academic Regulations

In the case of a discrepancy between the English and French version of any regulation, Faculty Council will determine, in interpreting the regulation in question, which is the official version to be used.

Glossary

Academic Year: For full-time students, the period from September to May. The academic year is divided into three terms, Fall Term and Winter term and Summer term. For the purposes of determining academic standing the Summer term is not normally considered to make up the academic year.

Audit: Courses that are taken without the purpose of earning academic credit. A student must formally register to audit a course at the beginning of the term, subject to the permission of the instructor and the Department Head and will not normally be allowed to change to regular course status after registration deadlines have passed. The level of participation of auditing students will be determined by the instructor and will not normally include submission of assignments or writing exams. Audited courses will be annotated by the code "AU" on the transcript.

Challenge Examination: An examination to test the knowledge of candidates in the subject matter of a particular course, the purpose of which is to establish a basis for the granting of credit for the course, without the normal requirements for attending the course and completing the usual course requirements. Course credits earned through successful passing of a Challenge Examination will be annotated as "CG" (Credit Granted) on the transcript. A student cannot request a Challenge Exam, for a course in which they were unsuccessful, in lieu of repeating a course or a supplemental exam. This applies both to courses taken at RMCC or other institutions.

Core Curriculum of RMCC: Courses RMCC students are required to take in order to prepare them to take on positions of leadership within the Canadian Forces.

Corequisite: A course which must be completed successfully before, or studied concurrently with, the course for which it is prescribed.

Course: A unit of study designated by a code and number in the Calendar.

Course Grade: The grade assigned on completion of the course, based on assignments, practical work, examinations and/or other course requirements as determined by the course instructor.

Credit: The equivalent, for all academic programmes, of a course consisting of about 39 hours of lectures, normally delivered in one term.

Credit Granted: Credit granted based on challenge exams, non-university courses or other types of experience which is assessed as duplicating RMCC academic requirements. Credits granted on this basis are annotated on the transcript with the code "CG".

Discipline: A field of study within a Programme of Study. A discipline will be either Major, Concentration, or Minor depending on the number of credits completed in the field of study.

Elective: A course belonging to another discipline a student may take to complete the minimum requirements of a Programme of Study.

End of Term: The end of term coincides with the end of the final exam period for that term.

Exemption: Granted when a student is not required to complete a Mandatory course within a Programme of Study because of prior exposure to related material. An exemption does not earn academic credit, but will enable the student to replace the exempted course with another elective course in order to earn sufficient credits to satisfy degree requirements. The transcript is marked with the code "EXE".

Extra course: A course which exceeds the requirements of the Programme of Study and which is taken only with the special permission of the Dean responsible for the programme in which the student is registered. The grades obtained in Extra Courses are counted in the student's term and cumulative averages, and when the Extra Course is within the field of study or discipline, the grade obtained in that course is taken into account with respect to the award of distinctions.

Failure of a Course: A student is deemed to have failed a course if the student fails the normal requirements for a course and either does not successfully pass the supplemental examination for that course, is not permitted or chooses not to write the supplemental examination.

Full Time Undergraduate Students: Those students registered in at least 80% of the credits of the full year programme for their Programme of Study once the deadline for course withdrawals has expired. Except for First Year, a full time student may, with the permission of the responsible department head, enrol in a maximum of one credit per term over the normal course load for the Programme of Study. Students wishing to enrol in more than one extra credit per term beyond the normal programme must first obtain permission of the responsible Dean. Minimum and maximum credits for full time status are presented in Table D-1.

Good Standing: Good standing implies that all a student's obligations to the College have been met. The requirements differ depending on the category of student. For example, the student must have paid all required fees, and must be of good character, such that the award of the degree requested does not impugn the values and reputation of the College.

Interest Only Students: Students who enrol in courses without being admitted into a Programme of Study at RMCC or another university. Normally "Interest Only" students may enrol in a maximum of three credits in a given term, and may not complete more than a total of six credits before being required to seek admission into a Programme of Study.

Letter of Permission: RMCC students who wish to take courses at other institutions for credits towards their degree programme must obtain prior written permission in the form of a letter of permission. The course(s) so taken must satisfy a requirement identified in the student's programme plan. Failure to obtain permission prior to the course start date may result in credits not being acceptable. A course calendar description must be submitted with the written request, as well as a Request for a Letter of Permission. The amount of instructional hours should be clearly indicated.

It should be noted that RMCC is a partner of the Canadian Virtual University, a consortium of Canadian universities offering programmes and courses that can be completed at a distance. Universities that are partners in this consortium have agreed to waive the fees normally levied for the processing of a Letter of Permission when the student is registered in a programme of study at a university that is a partner of CVU.

Mandatory Course: A specific course which a student must pass, or otherwise receive credit, in order to complete a Programme of Study.

Optional Courses: Courses within a discipline that are not Mandatory Courses.

Part-Time Undergraduate Students: Students who are registered in less than 80% of the credits of the full year programme for their Programme of Study. A Part-Time Student may take a maximum course load of 3 credits in any one term and must complete at least one course every two years to remain registered in a Programme of Study.

Pass: A student is deemed to have passed a course if the student completes all requirements for that course to the satisfaction of the instructor.

Prerequisite: A course which must be successfully completed prior to commencing the course for which it is required.

Programme of Study: The minimum set of courses required for the completion of a particular degree or certificate.

Second Language Credits: Students achieving the bilingual standard (BBB) on official language tests will be awarded an unallocated junior credit with a mark of 90 percent. For comprehension, writing, and speaking, students will be awarded an additional credit with a mark of 90% for each score indicating fluency or better (C or E). A maximum of four such credits will be awarded for a student's second official language. A further two credits may be awarded on the same basis for other languages, subject to formal testing, for a maximum of 6 second language credits. All BBB and above credits will normally be allocated to the third year in a four year *full-time* program. Credits achieved in fourth year will be applied to that year. Credits granted on this basis are annotated on the transcript with the code 'SL'.

Supplemental Examination: An examination or other form of academic evaluation taken by students who have not passed a course, in order to receive credit for the course.

Note: It is the original final mark not the supplemental exam mark which is used in the calculation of a student's average.

Term Average: The student's weighted average calculated at the end of any academic term based on all courses completed in that term plus the marks of all full-year courses which are in progress at that point.

Transfer Credits: Credits for work done at an accredited post-secondary institution, transfer credits may be granted for university courses that are assessed as satisfying RMCC academic requirements, or as fulfilling the requirements for unallocated credits, provided that marks of C- or higher have been earned and an overall satisfactory academic record has been maintained. The minimum mark of C- is to be waived in cases where RMCC has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with another university or a consortium of universities requiring the parties to reciprocally recognize the passing grade in each other's courses, under conditions stipulated in the Memorandum. A transfer credit for a university-level course taken at a Community College or CEGEP may also be granted provided the mark is satisfactory; normally a maximum of ten such credits may be granted at an appropriate level, depending on the program of study. Course requirements that have been satisfied through Transfer Credit are annotated on the transcript with the code TC.

Visiting Students: Students enrolled in a degree programme at another university who are authorized by their home university to take courses at RMCC. Except where a formal exchange agreement exists, a Visiting Student must provide a letter of permission from the home university in order to be approved for registration in an RMCC course.