At the Baccalaureate level

• Bachelor of Arts

• Bachelor of Fine Arts

• Bachelor of Music Education

• Bachelor of Science

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing

• Bachelor of Social Work

At the Non-Baccalaureate level

• Associate of Arts

• Associate of Science

• Associate of Applied Arts

• Associate of Applied Science

• Associate of Business

• Associate of Technology

• Certificate

• Vocational Diploma

Information about graduate degrees can be obtained in the 1998-2000 Northern Michigan University Graduate Bulletin which is available from the College of Graduate Studies.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) helps protect the privacy of student records. It provides students the right to inspect and review their educational records, the right to seek to amend those records and the right to limit the disclosure of information in the records. In complying with the act, Northern Michigan University will not release educational information about a student without the student’s written permission. For a more complete explanation of the provisions of the law, see the NMU Student Handbook. 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act allows the university to identify information which it considers public record and will release without student authorization. This information is called directory information.  Directory information at NMU includes the following information about the student:

• name

• local address

• permanent address

• local telephone

• permanent telephone

• NMU e-mail address

• date of birth

• program level

• class standing (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, graduate student)

• current enrollment status (enrolled vs. not enrolled)

• enrolled full-time/enrolled part-time

• major/minor

• dates of attendance

• current term candidacy for degrees and/or teaching certification

• honors, degrees earned, and dates

• participation in officially recognized university activities and sports; and

• weights and heights of athletic team members

Students have the right to restrict the release of all or a portion of their directory information. This is done by completing a form available from the Student Service Center, 105 Cohodas Administrative Center, or at my.nmu.edu. Restrictions can be applied to a student record any time during the semester. However, to prevent information from appearing in the university telephone directory, the request must be made by the date appearing in the Fall Schedule of Classes.

Students have an obligation to abide by accepted standards of academic honesty, which dictate that all scholastic work shall be original in nature. Procedures and penalties pertaining to academic dishonesty are outlined in the NMU Student Handbook.

Northern Michigan University is on the semester system; the academic year consists of a fall and winter semester followed by a summer session.

Academic Calendar

Students at Northern Michigan University are classified according to the number of credit hours earned numbered 100 level or above.

*Remedial or developmental courses do not meet requirements for associate or bachelor degrees, but may meet requirements for vocational diplomas and certificates.  Remedial, developmental or vocational courses are not calculated in the NMU GPA and are not counted as earned credit hours toward an associate or bachelor degree.

Continuing and re-entry students may register in advance for the next session's classes during the weeks designated by the university. Registration information and the schedule of classes are available in late March for the summer session and fall semester and in late October for the winter semester.

Registration information for continuing students is sent to their local address. Re-entry students should contact the Admissions Office, 304 Cohodas Administrative Center, 906-227-2650, for information. Students who pre-register for classes and decide not to return to NMU are expected to call the Student Service Center at 906-227-1221 to cancel their registration.

Students applying as new freshmen or transfers should contact the Academic and Career Advisement Center, 208 Cohodas, 906-227-2971, for registration information.

A senior with at least a 3.00 overall grade point average, a 3.00 grade point average in the area of concentration, and within 12 credit hours of graduation may petition to enroll for a maximum of eight credit hours of graduate credit. These credits may be applied to the undergraduate degree, at the department’s discretion, or toward a master’s degree from NMU, but not both.

Credit to be applied toward a master’s degree at NMU will be accepted and recorded as graduate credit only after admission to the College of Graduate Studies and after the successful completion of an additional 12 credit hours of graduate study. In general, these credits will not be accepted in transfer by another institution.

Forms for permission to take a graduate course are available from the Graduate Office.  They require approval from the instructor of the course, the advisor, and the College of Graduate Studies.

Note: Students will be charged graduate tuition for all courses taken for graduate credit and for 500 level courses taken for undergraduate credit.

An auditor is one who enrolls in a course but does not want credit. The cost of auditing a course is the same as enrolling for credit. Students must notify the Registration and Scheduling Office, 305 Cohodas Administrative Center, to obtain the appropriate form for enrolling in a course for audit.

Changing a course from audit to credit or from credit to audit must be completed by the ninth calendar day of a semester. The time frame for classes meeting less than a full semester is prorated. At the end of the semester, students will receive a grade of “AU” (audit) on their transcript. The instructor has the option of requesting a withdrawal from the course if a student’s attendance is irregular or if the student does not complete the course work required by the instructor. Departments may require a student to meet all prerequisites for a course prior to granting permission to audit a class.

During the first week of classes in the fall and winter semesters, students may add classes through the fourth day, provided seats are still available. Classes may be dropped through 5 p.m. of the ninth calendar day of the semester; no grade will be recorded on a student’s transcript for courses dropped during this period. The add/drop period varies during the summer session, depending on the length of the course. Refer to the summer schedule for specific add/drop information. See also Tuition and Fees section for payment and refund schedules.

Before changing your major, it is recommended that you meet with an academic advisor from the department of the major in which you are interested.  If you are unsure of what you should declare as a major, it is recommended that you meet with an advisor in the Academic and Career Advisement Center.

For most academic majors, declaring or changing your major can be done in one of the following ways:

1. In the department in which you are seeking a new major.

2. Coming to the Academic and Career Advisement Center, 208 Cohodas Administration Building, 906-227-2971, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.  It will take 5 to 10 minutes.

3. On the Web at www.nmu.edu/advising.

Students who want to declare any of the following majors must go directly to the department: Education, 104 Magers Hall; Psychology, 346 Gries Hall; or Cosmetology, Admissions Office, 304 Cohodas Administrative Center.

Students with 87 or more credits should also inform the Degree Audit Office of this change so that they may begin preparation of a new degree audit.

Students are expected to attend all class meetings of courses in which they enroll. Students who are absent from classes because of participation in university-sponsored activities are excused. Students are responsible for all class work whether or not their absence is excused.

Students dropping a class after the official add/drop period through the tenth week of the fall and winter semesters will be issued a “W” grade. Students dropping courses after the tenth week of class will receive “F” grades in these courses. Dates for withdrawing from a course not meeting for a full semester or for summer session courses will be prorated. These dates are published by the Registrar’s Office at the beginning of each registration period. With documentation of the extenuating circumstances preventing a student from meeting the withdrawl deadline, exceptions to this policy may be made with the written approval of the Dean of Students Office. See also Tuition and Fees section for payment and refund schedules.

To be considered full time, a student must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours in each semester of attendance– fall, winter, and summer.

Northern Michigan University places a “hold” on a student’s registration, transcript request, diploma or certificate when the student has not met conditions or obligations due the university. The following are general reasons for a hold:

• Financial—A hold may be placed by the Financial Services Office because of any financial obligation to the university.

• Advisor Registration—An electronic hold may be placed on a student's record to ensure that a student has seen his or her advisor.

• Disciplinary—A hold may be placed by the dean of students on students who have been suspended or expelled for disciplinary reasons.

• Medical—A hold may be placed at the request of the dean of students on the enrollment of a student who has been withdrawn from the university or who is being denied enrollment because of psychological or medical problems. Holds applied in these situations are made on the basis of recommendations from the director of the Health Center, another medical doctor, and/or a member of the university Health Center counseling staff. A medical hold may also be placed on students who have not submitted proof of measles (rubeola) vaccinations.

• Admissions/Registrar’s—A hold may be placed by the director of admissions or registrar on the enrollment of a student who fails to provide proof of graduation from high school or transcripts from previous colleges attended.

• Academic—A hold may be placed at the request of the chairperson of the Admissions and Academic Policies Committee on the enrollment of a student who has been suspended or expelled for failure to maintain the standards outlined in the Academic Proficiency Policy.

Students may not enroll later than 5 p.m. of the fourth day of classes of a semester. Following the last official registration day of a semester, $25 is charged to those students who, for any cause, have not completed registration. Registration is not completed until all tuition and fees are paid.  The late charge applies to all instructional programs of Northern Michigan University and to all students enrolling in eight or more credit hours. Students whose registration is delayed by the Academic Proficiency Committee are exempt from the late registration charge. Check the summer course schedule for summer college dates.

Northern Michigan University requires that all full-time new and re-entry students born after 1956 provide proof of immunity to measles (rubeola).  To comply with this policy, students born after 1956 must submit satisfactory evidence of measles immunity to the Health Center.

Active military personnel and veterans are exempt from providing proof of immunity, since they have already met comparable immunization requirements. To comply with the policy active military personnel must present their military I.D. card and veterans must mail a copy of their DD 214 to the Health Center.

Most courses may be repeated, with some exceptions: A student will not be allowed to repeat OC 080 General Mathematics or EN 080 Reading and Writing without approval of the department head. Students who fail such courses may be directed to other means of improving their skills (e.g. computerized instruction or community school's instruction) and must re-take the appropriate NMU Placement Exam (i.e. math or English) before proceeding to MA 090, EN 090, or a higher level math or English course. Students who fail an NMU class two times must wait for one semester during the academic year prior to enrolling for a third time and must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the department offering the course that the factor(s) causing consistent failure was addressed and resolved.

When a course is repeated, credit is only granted once. The last grade and credit hours for a repeated course are used for computing a student’s grade point average and for awarding credit hours applicable toward a degree or certificate, even if the last grade and/or credit hours is lower than the previous grade and credit hours. However, a grade of “W” (withdrawal, no credit) will not replace a previous grade or credit hours for a course.

Students who wish to repeat an NMU course at another college or university must receive permission from the Evaluation Services Office prior to enrollment. See Transfer Credit Policy for NMU Students in this section of the bulletin.

Under special circumstances a student may petition to repeat a lower level course with a higher level course (e.g., EC 101 with EC 201). Written permission from the appropriate department head must be sent to the Academic Records Office before the student enrolls in the course.

To ensure the proper recording of repeated courses on a transcript, students must notify the Student Service Center, 105 Cohodas Administration Center, 906-227-1221, of the repeat.

Students are sent a copy of their class schedule with their tuition bill. Students should verify their schedule on my.nmu.edu after the add/drop period for the fall and winter semesters. Errors should be reported to the Student Service Center, 105 Cohodas Administrative Center, 906-227-1221.

A normal academic load for undergraduate students is 16 credits during the fall or winter semesters and 12 credits during a summer session. The minimum number of credit hours required for a baccalaureate degree is 124. Some majors require students to take an academic load in excess of 16 credits, but never more than 20. In general, students are advised not to enroll in more than 20 credits in the fall and winter semesters or more than 16 credits in the summer. They may be permitted to do so only if they have established a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher. First semester freshmen, however, are not allowed to take more than the maximum credits in a semester (16 or 20).

A written petition to carry more than the maximum credits in a semester should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office by the student’s advisor.

At the discretion of individual departments and/or instructors, students who have not attended through the first four days of the semester (or its equivalent) of a class and who have failed to contact the instructor may be dropped from the class roster. Since this is an optional action on the part of departments, students who wish to drop a class should do so themselves.

Students who decide to leave the Northern Michigan University without finishing the semester for which they are currently enrolled must complete a “Notice of Withdrawal” form at the Dean of Students Office. Following the proper withdrawal procedures ensures (1) that the maximum allowable proportion of fees due the student will be refunded, (2) that the appropriate grades will be recorded on the student’s transcript, and (3) that the individual’s records will be properly maintained in the event of future enrollment at NMU or transfer to another university or college.

Students who withdraw from the university after 5 p.m. of the tenth week of classes will receive “F” grades. In extreme cases exceptions to this policy may be made with the written approval from the Dean of Students Office.

Northern Michigan University uses letter grades which are assigned a numerical value. The total number of grade points (honor points) is the product of the credits and the honor point value of the grade received in the course.

Grade reports are not mailed to students at the end of each semester. Students access their grades on the Web at my.nmu.edu.

Grade of I– A grade of “I” (Incomplete) applies to work of acceptable quality when the full amount is not completed because of reasons acceptable to the instructor, such as illness. It is never applied to poor work.

Grade of MG–  A grade of "MG" (No Grade Submitted) is issued when the instructor does not submit a grade by the deadline to be included on the official grade report.  After the final grade is recorded, a new grade report will be issued to the student.

Grade of P– A grade of “P” (Completion) is awarded when a student has marginally a student teaching assignment. These students are not recommended to the state for certification.

Grade of R– A grade of “R” (Research in Progress) is issued when research field study or internships extend beyond the end of the semester. Used for graduate courses only.

Grade of S– A grade of “S” (Satisfactory) is issued when a course has been satisfactorily completed.  Courses graded "S" are counted in earned hours. The grades are not included in the computation of the GPA.

Grade of U– A grade of “U” (Unsatisfactory) is issued when a course has not been completed satisfactorily.  Courses graded "U" are included in attempted hours.  The grades are not included in the computation of the GPA.

Grade of W– A grade of “W” (Withdrawal) is awarded when a student has officially withdrawn from a course.  Courses graded "W" are included in attempted hours.  the grades are not included in the computation of the GPA.

Grade of X– A grade of “X” is awarded when a course continues to meet past the time of grading for a particular semester.

Grade of AU– A grade of "AU" (Audit) is awarded to a student who is not taking a course for credit.

Students can not graduate with a grade of "I" or "X" on their record.

Honor Point Values

How to Calculate Your GPA

At the time an “I” grade is awarded, the instructor will complete the appropriate form stating (1) the reason for awarding the incomplete, (2) what work has to be performed by the student to complete the course, (3) the deadline for completing the work, and (4) the alternate grade to be awarded in the event the deadline is not met. (One copy of this form is retained by the instructor, one is forwarded to the Academic Records Office and one is mailed to the student.) If an instructor fails to indicate an alternate grade, the incomplete will automatically revert to an “F” at the expiration of the deadline. The maximum time that can be given to complete an “I” grade is one year.

Students can request a duplicate copy of the incomplete grade form from the department in which the course was taken. The student is responsible for obtaining all information regarding the completion of the course, including deadlines, from the instructor or the instructor’s department head.

If a student believes that a clerical error has been made in awarding the final grade for a course, he or she should meet with the instructor to determine if there has been an error.  A change of grade is normally allowed only for clerical error. Requests for a grade change must be signed by the instructor of the course and the head of the department before being referred to the college dean for review. If a grade is changed, the Registrar’s Office will notify the student of the change. Grade changes must be received by the Registrar no later than the fifteenth working day of the following semester (exclusive of the summer session).

Students who believe they have been unfairly graded in a course should follow the appeals procedure outlined in the NMU Student Handbook.

The academic proficiency policy defines the academic standards students must meet to continue their enrollment at NMU. Students must maintain a minimum overall GPA (NMU plus transfer) of 2.00 to be in academic good standing. Students with a overall GPA below this level will be placed on academic probation and will have to attain certain semester GPA requirements to remain at NMU (see Academic Probation Standards).  All students must attain good standing and a minimum NMU GPA of 2.00 before a degree, certificate or diploma may be conferred.

Students are notified of their academic status via their end of semester grade report.  Any questions regarding academic proficiency should be referred to the Academic and Career Advisement Center.

Academic Dismissal–Students who have previously been academically suspended from NMU, re-enter, and are academically suspended again, are dismissed from the university.  Dismissed students may only re-enter NMU through an appeal to the Admissions and Academic Policies Committee (AAPC) of the Academic Senate.

This table provides a quick reference to the semester GPA that students on academic probation must attain to remain at NMU.  In addition to these requirements, students on academic probation may also be required to participate in additional activities to remain at the university.