AMU Academic Calendar: A Comprehensive Guide

The academic calendar at AMU (presumably Ave Maria University or a similar institution) is structured to provide students with a clear timeline for their academic pursuits. This guide will cover various aspects of the AMU academic calendar, including registration, course changes, withdrawals, grading, institutional exams, leave of absence policies, program withdrawal procedures, and regulations concerning student records.

Key Responsibilities of the Registrar's Office

The Office of the Registrar plays a central role in managing various academic processes. Their responsibilities include:

Academic and classroom scheduling
Student registration
Enrollment verification
Grading and academic records maintenance
Transfer credit articulation
Degree audits
Monitoring undergraduate general education requirements
Degree awarding
Course evaluations
Student data/statistical analysis
Veterans benefits
FERPA compliance
Transcript services

Students are identified using their AMU ID (e.g., C/E19XXX) and password, which are provided upon admission.

Registration Procedures

Initial Registration

Students are expected to register for classes during the designated registration period. Those with registration holds on their records will not be allowed to register until the holds are cleared. The most common reason for a hold is past due accounts, which can be checked via the AMU Student Portal under Account Balance.

Late Registration

Late registration is discouraged, as students are expected to register within the specified period.

Read also: Cornell University Semester Guide

Canceled Classes

If a class is canceled, students are informed that the class is unavailable for registration. If the cancellation occurs after registration, students will be dropped from the class and notified by the Registrar’s Office.

Add/Drop Period

The Add/Drop Period allows students to make changes to their registration without penalty. Currently, this period spans the first eight days of each quarter, during which students may add or drop courses.

Course Withdrawal

To officially withdraw from a course, students must complete a "Course Withdrawal" form. A student who officially withdraws from the course after the Add/Drop period and prior to the end of the sixth week will be given a grade of “W”.

Auditing Courses

AMU offers the option to audit courses, subject to certain conditions:

Elective and hands-on technique courses are not available for auditing.
Non-AMU students must first apply to audit the course.
Class handouts are not available to auditing students for free.
Auditing students who fail to follow the attendance policy including random absence, tardy or leaving early, interrupting the lecture or disrupting the class will be given one warning before dropped from the course and forfeit any rights to future audits.

Grading System

Incomplete Grades

The grade of “I” (Incomplete) may be awarded only at the end of a quarter when all but a minor portion of the course work has been satisfactorily completed. The grade of “I” is not to be awarded in place of an “F”. Not require a grade from the instructor.

Read also: GMU Calendar Explained

Appealing a Grade

If a student is not satisfied with the grade given by the instructor, he or she can initiate in writing a grade appeal to the instructor involved. If the student is not satisfied by the instructor’s explanation or action, the grade appeal can be presented to the Chief Academic Officer for resolution. The Chief Academic Officer and the Academic Committee will render the final decision.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is evaluated to ensure students are meeting the required academic standards. Factors considered in SAP include:

The grades attained, i.e. institutional exams.
Registered courses.
Time students.
Institutional exams conducted by AMU.
The qualitative SAP factor.
Each quarter.
Represented by the period of time between two consecutive SAP evaluations of the student.
To the disbursements from the government.
Standard time taken to complete the program.
Tutoring and academic advising.

Students who fail to meet SAP may face consequences such as academic probation or suspension. The university may evaluate the student and analyze the reason for the poor performance and their financial aid eligibility. If a student does not meet SAP requirements within the specified payment period, he or she will be placed on academic suspension from the University. A student on academic suspension may lose financial aid eligibility, and he or she will not be allowed to re-enroll for two quarters.

A student may appeal his or her academic suspension in writing to the Academic Committee. The Academic Committee will review the appeal and make a final determination. The student will be notified of the decision in writing. Students returning from academic suspension will be placed on academic probation and "financial aid warning" for one quarter to ensure the student meets the standards within the specified time frame. If a student fails the institutional exam, he or she will be given one attempt to pass the institutional exam or face academic dismissal once again. Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress to remain in good standing, whether they are enrolled full time or half time.

Leave of Absence Policy

A Leave of Absence (LOA) refers to a specific time period during a student’s ongoing program of study when he or she is not in academic attendance. It does not include non-attendance for a scheduled break in a student’s program. For the Doctorate program, a written request must be made and the LOA may not exceed a cumulative one hundred and eighty (180) days within any twelve (12) month period beginning on the first day of the student’s initial leave of absence.

Procedures for LOA

LOAs must be requested prior to the time the student plans to be away from school.
Students returning from a LOA must contact the Registrar’s Office or Chief Academic Officer before registering for classes.
Students who have not attended the University for one year or more, must apply for re-admission and must meet the current entrance requirements.
The student’s initial leave of absence.
Regulations, policies and procedures are adhered to.
University for at least one academic year.

Program Withdrawal

A student may withdraw from the school any time after the add/ drop period (described above) and receive a pro rata refund if he or she has completed 60 percent or less of the scheduled days in the current payment period in his or her program through the last day of attendance. A registration or administration fee will be deducted from the refund, not to exceed $250.00, as well as a deduction for equipment not returned in good condition within 45 days of withdrawal. For the purpose of determining the amount of the refund, the date of the student’s withdrawal shall be deemed the last date of the scheduled attendance.

AMU Institutional Exams

AMU institutional exams are the set of exams that comprehensively evaluate the student’s current standard of knowledge and performance from the theory and principles of traditional medicine, acupuncture, herbal medicine, biomedicine, clean and safe Practice, ethics, law and regulation related to the practice of acupuncture and traditional medicine. The institutional exams are separate examinations from the regular classroom exams and clinical training.

Types of Institutional Exams

Level 1 Entrance Exam:
- Prior to beginning level 1 internship, all students are required to successfully complete and pass Level 1 Entrance Exam.
- This is a comprehensive written exam of 200 multiple choice questions.
- The required passing rate for the exam is 70%.
- Entrance Exam. Clinic Entrance Exam is offered once a quarter.
Level 1 Exit Exam:
- Prior to beginning level 2 internship, all students are required to successfully complete and pass Level 1 Exit Exam.
- This is a practicum exam that assesses a student’s clinical skills prior to beginning internship level 2.
- The required passing rate for the exam is 70%.
- Directly to the Dean of Clinic for the Level 1 Exit Exam schedule.
Level 2 Exit Exam:
- Prior to beginning level 3 internship, all students are required to successfully complete and pass Level 2 Exit Exam.
- This is a comprehensive written exam of 200 multiple choice questions.
- The required passing rate for the exam is 70%.
- Level 2 Exit Exam is offered once per quarter.
- Each student is given one time opportunity only to have a make-up level 2 exit exam offered within the same quarter.
- Students can choose at which quarter they like to schedule their make-up exam.
- Please consult with the Dean of Faculty for scheduling and further information.
Level 3 Exit Exam:
- Prior to completing the remaining 80 clinical hours of level 3 internship, all students are required to successfully complete and pass Level 3 Exit Exam.
- Internship registration to this remaining 80 clinical hours of level 3 internship will be blocked until the student has successfully passed the Level 3 Exit Exam.
- Level 3 interns are advised to take this level 3 exit exam as early as possible whenever they have begun their clinic level 3 internship in order to prevent any delay for program completion.
- The Level 3 Exit Exam is offered by the university once per academic quarter.
- This Level 3 Exit Exam is a comprehensive written exam of 200 multiple choice questions.
- The required passing rate for the exam is 70%.
- Level 3 Exit Exam is offered once per quarter.
- Each student is given one time opportunity only to have a make-up level 3 exit exam offered within the same quarter.
- Students can choose at which quarter they like to schedule their make-up exam.

There is a maximum number of attempts applied to all students regarding the passing of the institutional exams. Failure to meet this maximum number of attempts for the institutional exams may result in termination of the student’s status in the program. Please refer to the “Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)” policy in this program catalog. Schedule for appointment is required in advance for the consultation session. Students are encouraged to schedule an appointment in advance to consult for further information and preparation for the exam.

Residency Requirements

Specific programs at AMU have residency requirements that must be met to earn a degree. For instance:

Completion of the core curriculum with a minimum of 2,400 hours of didactic instruction (240 units that consists of 234 required didactic units and 6 required elective didactic units) plus 1,020 hours of clinical internship (200 hours observation plus 760 hours of supervised clinical internship and 60 hours of DAHM integrative case studies which comprises 51 quarter units) and 60 lab hours (DAHM professional development portfolio that comprises 3 quarter units).
In terms of residency, a quarter is defined as twelve (12) units or more. The minimum residency is 12 quarters.
Completion of the core curriculum with a minimum of 2160 hours of didactic instruction (216 quarter units that consists of 210 required didactic units and 6 required elective didactic units) plus 960 hours of clinical internship (200 hours observation plus 760 hours of supervised clinical internship which comprises 48 quarter units).
In terms of residency, a quarter is defined as twelve (12) units or more. The minimum residency is 12 quarters. For transfer students, the minimum residency requirement is 45 quarter units of classroom instruction.

Student Records and Transcripts

In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the University protects the privacy of student records, including address, phone number, grades and attendance dates. Student records are permanently kept in locked fireproof file cabinets and a backup copy of student records is kept on an off-site server. Students have the right to review their academic file by submitting a request to the Registrar. Student records are maintained at the school site for five years from the last date of attendance. Transcripts are maintained permanently.

AMU Re-Admission

The Chief Academic Officer must evaluate the student’s standing. If more than five years have elapsed, since the last prior enrollment, the Academic Committee will reevaluate the student’s placement and the student may be required to take a placement exam; if this is failed, he or she needs to retake the class. Students must contact the Registrar’s Office to be sure all prior financial commitments are complete no less than 30 days before the quarter starts. A letter of full acceptance will be sent to the student after the student file and prior financial commitments are complete.

Additional Information

Accessing the Classroom

To enter the classroom, log into the ecampus with your student ID and password, then click the Enter Classes button at the top left of the screen. You may log in only after the classroom opens.

Course Engagement

It is important that you log into each of your registered courses at least once during the first week of classes and submit a forum post of at least 250 words, or you will be dropped from the course. We recommend you log in early in the week in case any technical errors arise.

Federal Student Aid (FSA)

For packaging Federal Student Aid (FSA), APUS requires students take classes within a defined academic year schedule. APUS defines an academic year as two consecutive 16-week academic semesters (32 weeks). Because the university has rolling monthly starts, and 8- and 16-week course sessions, the dates of each academic year and corresponding semesters vary. You must select your FSA academic year at least 10 days prior to the start of your first semester. To create your academic year, answer yes to "Using Federal Student Aid?" when registering for courses. Once you select "Continue Registration", you will be provided with the start dates that are currently available. Planning and registering for courses early minimizes the risks of losing part or all of your financial aid eligibility. When using FSA to pay for school, it's wise to register no later than one week prior to the start of each semester. It is recommended that you register for all of your courses for the entire 16-week academic semester. When you register for courses using FSA, please select Federal Student Aid as your payment type. ET. This does not mean that every class begins every month. Refer to the class schedule for exact start dates.

tags: #AMU #academic #calendar