Incoming Students: The Readiness Program
All first-year and transfer students will be tested or otherwise evaluated upon entrance to Fitchburg State College to determine their proficiencies in reading, writing and mathematics. Exams are scheduled both days and evenings throughout the academic year. Test results may indicate skill areas which will be strengthened by a readiness program to provide new students with a solid and equal start to their college careers.
Readiness Program/Comprehensive Courses and Requirements
ENGL 0100 Basic College Writing - required for first-year students who score 7 or lower on essay and if they have no transfer credit equivalent to Writing I and/or Writing II.
Students who score 12 on the essay will be exempted from Writing I and should enroll in ENGL 1200, Writing II.
MATH 0100 Basic Mathematics I - available for students who score below 50 on the Placement Exam.
MATH 0200 Basic Mathematics II - required for students who score below 82 on the placement exam. Transfer students who fail the mathematics examination will not be required to take these courses unless they wish to enroll in a mathematics course at the 1000-level or above.
Credit for READ 0100, ENGL 0100, MATH 0100 and MATH 0200 is considered institutional credit only; that is, the credit will not count toward graduation, but will count toward full-time status for purposes of financial aid and athletic eligibility. Additionally, the grades received in these courses will be counted in each student's grade point average.
Foreign Language Placement Exam Requirement
This required assessment is designed to assist students to achieve their foreign language education goals. French, German and Spanish tests are administered through the Internet. Immediately after the test, you will receive your results and be advised as to the proper Fitchburg State College foreign language course in which you should enroll based on your placement score.
Latin is a pencil and paper exam. A Latin score that places the student higher than intermediate level 2 satisfies the foreign language graduation requirement for the bachelor of arts degree or The Leadership Academy program. Fitchburg State College does not currently offer courses in Latin except by arrangement on an individual basis.
Students planning to take French, German, Spanish or Latin are required to take a placement test if they meet one of the following conditions:
- Completed a high school level French, German, Spanish or Latin course
- One of these languages is their native language or they have had experience with the language
Students who have not had any formal or informal experience with a foreign language do not need to take the placement test, but may register for French for Beginners (FREN 1000), German for Beginners (GER 1000), Spanish for Beginners (SPAN 1000), or Italian for Beginners (ITAL 1000).
Common Graduation Requirements
In order to be eligible to graduate with a baccalaureate degree from Fitchburg State College, the following general requirements must be met:
- Successful completion of an appropriate discipline-based evaluation chosen by the department and approved by the vice president for Academic Affairs
- Successful completion of at least 120 semester hours of course work; 45 of these must be attained in residence (normally including the senior year)
- A cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher
- A minimum of 2.0 average in major course of study*
- An Application for Degree or Certificate must be filed with the Registrar's Office no later than September 15 for May graduation or March 1 for January graduation.
* Some majors require a major GPA higher than 2.0
for graduation.
In order to be eligible to graduate with a baccalaureate degree from Fitchburg State College, the following general requirements must be met:
- Successful completion of an appropriate discipline-based evaluation chosen by the department and approved by the vice president for Academic Affairs
- Successful completion of at least 120 semester hours of course work; 45 of these must be attained in residence (normally including the senior year)
- A cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher
- A minimum of 2.0 average in major course of study*
- An application for graduation must be filed with the Registrar's Office by Jan. 1 of the year of anticipated graduation
Graduation
Degrees are awarded by Fitchburg State College in January and May of each year.
Students may petition the associate vice president for Academic Affairs to participate in the annual graduation ceremony if they have a maximum of two courses, up to 12 credits to complete.
Liberal Arts and Sciences Program Requirement
The college has approved new Liberal Arts and Sciences Program requirements which will become effective for all entering students in fall 2008. Current students will have the option to remain under the current program or move to the new requirements beginning in spring 2008.
Of the 120 semester hours needed to graduate, candidates must complete a minimum of 60 hours satisfying the requirements of the Liberal Arts and Sciences Program, which includes the Readiness in English and Mathematics (if necessary) and the Constitution requirement (for teacher education majors only) as well as the following components:
- Quantitative/Scientific Cluster ("Q" symbol in course schedule)-four courses, one must be a mathematics course beyond the readiness level; one must be a science lab. (Four courses, regardless of whether they carry three or four hours of credit, must be completed)
- Ideas and Events Cluster ("I" symbol in course schedule)-three courses, one must have a
historical perspective
- Human Behavior Cluster ("B" symbol in course schedule)-two courses
- Literature, Language, and Arts Cluster ("L" symbol in course schedule)-four courses, one must be in Literature and one must be in Arts
- Writing I & II-ENGL 1100 and 1200, or their equivalent if taken at another institution
- Health and Fitness-(See Health and Fitness Requirement under Exercise and Sport Science Program)
- Junior/Senior Writing-specific requirement(s) defined by the department of the student's major
- Computer Literacy-specific requirement(s) defined by the department of the student's major
- Speaking/Listening-specific requirement(s) defined by the department of the student's major
- Interdisciplinary ("IDIS" or departmental prefix in schedule)-two courses, one of which must be taken in the freshman year. These courses can simultaneously meet the requirements in content clusters
- Multicultural ("C" symbol in course schedule)-two courses, which can simultaneously meet the requirements in content clusters
- Intermediate and Advanced Requirement-three courses at the intermediate or advanced level in a Liberal Arts or Sciences discipline outside one's major. These courses can simultaneously meet the requirements in content clusters
- Liberal Arts and Sciences Electives-four courses chosen from among those designated as part of the Liberal Arts and Sciences Program
Candidates should be aware that the following restrictions apply with respect to fulfilling their Liberal Arts and Sciences requirements:
- Credits earned in one course cannot be divided
- Credits earned toward graduation cannot be counted twice, even though courses that satisfy Liberal Arts and Sciences requirements may sometimes fulfill the requirements of one's major course of study
Certain majors specify which courses must be taken to satisfy Liberal Arts and Sciences requirements. Students should read the section pertaining to their selected major carefully before registering for classes.
Additional course work required for graduation from individual programs and certificates
Teacher certification or initial provisional certification requires knowledge of the Federal Constitution and that of the Commonwealth. Candidates may fulfill it by successfully completing one of the following courses:
HIST 1400 - United States History I
HIST 1500 - United States History II
POLS 1500 - State and Urban Government
POLS 1000 - U.S. Government
Leadership Academy Honors Program
Leadership Academy Honors Program students complete LAS requirements through a specialized set of courses. See Leadership Academy.
Freshman Foundation Year
The courses required in a full-time, undergraduate student's first year demonstrate that the Liberal Arts and Sciences Program offers content and skills that are significant in the development of critical thinking and serve as the foundation for further learning in major areas. Along with fulfilling the Freshman Foundation courses as outlined below, every incoming freshman will be required to read two books that are related to a designated theme.
Freshman Foundation Year Program
- Writing I and Writing II
- Liberal Arts and Sciences courses in at least three clusters
- An Interdisciplinary course
- Additional courses chosen in consultation with advisor
Major Course of Study
Candidates must choose a major course of study, either at the time of enrollment or before the end of their sophomore year. The requirements of the major vary from 33 to 63 semester hours. Students must formally apply to their major by filling out a form available from the Academic Advising Center, Registrar's Office or from the chair of the department.
Changing a major or degree program
Students may change their major or degree program as long as they can meet the requirements for their new major. Frequently changing one's major increases the amount of time required to complete the baccalaureate program, and not all programs (such as nursing) can accept applicants who wish to transfer to that field.
Programs having requirements for internal transfer are communications media, human services, clinical laboratory science, nursing and education.
Double Major
Degree candidates wishing to earn a baccalaureate with two majors must satisfy the requirements of both programs, even if doing so requires more than 120 semester hours of study. All students receiving a Bachelor of Science in Education must also complete a major in an arts and sciences discipline.
Double major candidates
- Enroll for the second major as they did for the first
- Are assigned an advisor in each major
- Select which degree is to be granted - the bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, or bachelor of science in education - since only one degree is permissible
Academic Minor
The academic minor is an ideal way to explore a field other than that of one's major.
Minors are offered in African-American studies, art, biology, business administration, chemistry, computer science, criminal justice, dance, economics, English, French, geography, graphics, history, industrial/organizational psychology, industrial science, international studies, Italian studies, mathematics, music, philosophy, political science, psychology, social sciences, sociology, Spanish, special education, theater, and women's studies. Not all minors are available in the evening.
Although the minimum number of credits required for a minor is 15, the amounts vary significantly from discipline to discipline, as do the prerequisites. See the Undergraduate Programs section of the catalog for further information.
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