General Academic Policies

General Academic Policies

  1. Students will follow the sequence of courses as outlined in the plan of study. The student carries the responsibility for ensuring that the prerequisites for coursework are met and that coursework is taken in the proper sequence. Any change to the plan of study must be approved by the Academic Dean.
  2. The academic standard for students in the College of Nursing is a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.5 or above, with no grade in a required prerequisite course below a C (2.0). Those courses include CHEM 111 or any prerequisite for KIN 270 and, KIN 272, any Human Nutrition course, PSYCH 100, Microbiology (for students entering Fall of 2023 or later) and Statistics.
  3. Successful completion of the physical and biological science prerequisites, college writing, and the R1 and R2 Math Tier requirements are required before progression into the Junior year of the nursing major.
  4. If the Cumulative GPA falls below a 2.5 or the student has a grade below C in a required course, the student will not be allowed to progress to the next semester of required courses. Such students are required to meet with their academic advisor.
  5. Each semester of required courses must be successfully completed before progression to the next semester, as outlined in the plan of study.
  6. Students who do not progress satisfactorily through the nursing curriculum in its regular sequence or who take a leave of absence are not guaranteed that the curriculum and courses from which they departed will be in place upon their return. Such students will be expected to complete the curriculum of their new graduation date. Continuation in the program is based on space availability.
  7. Didactic Nursing courses may be repeated once with no prior approval and twice with the permission of the Academic Dean. Failure to pass an undergraduate nursing course with a grade of C or better on the second attempt will lead to dismissal from the program. Repetition of a clinical course must be approved by the Academic Dean. If the student is denied a repeat of a clinical course, the student is dismissed from the College of Nursing. If an unacceptable grade is received in a required course, the student is on probation from the College of Nursing. Repeating any nursing course is on a space-available basis and requires payment of course tuition and fees.
  8. Standardized NCLEX style examinations are required for progression in the program.
  9. Students attending class or clinical who are impaired for any reason including the influence of alcohol and other substances will be asked to leave. If this behavior occurs in a clinical setting, it will be grounds for disciplinary action and dismissal.
  10. Students must abide by all university policies in addition to those of the College of Nursing. Additional information may be found in the Registrar’s Academic Regulations.
  11. Students will be cleared for graduation and application for the RN licensure examination (NCLEX- RN®) when all graduation requirements of the university and College of Nursing have been met.

Notes about final semester Internship course (N498):

  1. Placement in an internship site is determined by the clinical facility and the College of Nursing. The College of Nursing will request the student’s identified preferences; however, the College of Nursing cannot guarantee a placement in a requested facility or in a requested nursing field.
  2. Medical/Surgical nursing is the default for all student requests. Example: if you request ICU, ER, Maternity; the College will add Med/Surg as a fourth option. Placements in Maternity, Pediatrics, ICU, ER, and PACU are very limited.
  3. Requests will be sent to the first facility on the student’s request list. If there are no available placements at that facility a request will be sent to the student’s second facility of choice, etc.
  4. Students are not to approach or contact nurses or Nurse Managers or other faculty regarding internship opportunities. Clinical agencies may refuse placements for students who not follow the approved lines of communication for clinical placement. All communication regarding internship placements will be handled by the Clinical Placement Coordinator. Any contact information you have needs to be given to the Clinical Placement Coordinator.
  5. Once a student’s request is accepted by a facility no further searches will be made.
  6. Students are required to be available for internship hours (class, lab, site hours) during all active University days in the semester.
  7. Students must be available for other class days on the Amherst/Springfield campus as assigned. These include start of semester lab days, other courses, ATI testing days, and simulation days. These days are mandatory and require on-campus presence of the student for all courses.
  8. Students may receive communication over the summer months from the Course Coordinator regarding materials that may be due earlier than the start of term and students are responsible for checking for voicemails and emails daily. Failure to submit required materials may cause your placement to be cancelled by the clinical agency or delay the start of internship hours.
  9. Credentialing materials must be completed in CastleBranch. Failure to submit the required materials at the date and time specified by the College of Nursing will delay your start of internship hours and is a failure to meet clinical objectives for the internship course.