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The following definitions are assumed when explaining College policies and procedures. Direct any questions to the Office of Student Services or Office of Academic Affairs or the Registrar.
Credit Hour
According to federal definition, “a credit hour represents the student work required to demonstrate achievement of clearly-defined learning outcomes to be accomplished in one hour of direct faculty instruction in the classroom, or online, and two hours of out-ofclass student work each week for the equivalent of 15 weeks a semester. Labs, co-ops, clinicals, and other academic activities require a minimum of two hours of student work each week for the equivalent of 15 weeks a semester for each credit hour.”
At Bay College, degree and certificate requirements are calculated in credit hours completed. See the appropriate program pages later in this catalog for listings of requirements.
Contact Hour
Bay College calculates tuition and fees in contact hours, the number of hours the student meets with an instructor and/or attends instructional sessions.
Semester
Bay College operates on a semester hour basis. Each semester is 16 weeks in length, 15 weeks of instruction and 1 week of final examinations. Summer 1 and 2 are 6 weeks in length.
Program of Study/Major
Each student is required to declare a major, also known as a Program of Study. Available programs of study are listed in this catalog and include all requirements that must be fulfilled in order to receive that particular degree or certificate.
Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA)
The Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) is an agreement between all public community colleges in Michigan and the 15 public universities in the state as well as a number of participating tribal and private colleges and universities in Michigan. It is designed to facilitate the transfer of general education requirements from community colleges to four-year colleges and universities. Students who complete the minimum 30 semester hours of college-level courses with a grade of 2.0 or higher in each course within the specified categories will fulfill lower-level general education requirements dependent on the requirements of the major. All Bay College students who complete an Associate in Arts (AA) or Associate in Science (AS) degree must complete the MTA requirements and will therefore receive the MTA notation on their transcript. This agreement supersedes the MACRAO Agreement.
MACRAO Agreement
The MACRAO (Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers) stamp is added to the transcripts of students who complete the General Education requirements detailed in the General Transfer Information chapter of this catalog. MACRAO provides for transferability of 30 semester hours to meet many or all of the General Education Requirements at participating Michigan colleges and universities. All Bay College students who complete an Associate in Arts (AA) or Associate in Science (AS) degree must complete the MACRAO requirements and will therefore receive the MACRAO notation on their transcript.
Transitional Studies
Some students may not currently meet a college level proficiency in English, math, or science courses. Bay College provides opportunities for students to improve their knowledge and skills so they can succeed in required course work. Courses numbered below 100 are designated as Transitional Studies. These courses cannot be used to fulfill requirements for programs of study. The credits and grades for these courses are used to calculate the term grade point average (GPA), but not the cumulative GPA. The credits for these courses are used to calculate full- and part-time status for Financial Aid.
Instructional Delivery
Bay College uses three types of instructional delivery, always striving to ensure that students can meet the expected learning outcomes for the course and their degree or certificate.
Traditional: The traditional course is one where the instructor meets face-to-face with the student for all contact hours of the course. However, the student in a traditional course may be required to use the internet to access online assignments, virtual tours, course documents, learning artifacts, assignment directions, instructor notices/communications and assessments.
Hybrid: Hybrid courses are delivered with a portion of the course being face-to-face and the remainder online.
Online: Online courses deliver course content 100% online; however, some instructors may require students to take tests in a proctored classroom or computer lab setting.
Graduation
Graduation refers to the completion of requirements for the chosen Program of Study. The students should work with their Academic Advisors to select courses that will fulfill those requirements. Toward the end of their course work, students must submit an Application for Graduation to verify that requirements have been met.
Commencement
In May of each year, Bay College hosts a Commencement ceremony to celebrate the graduation of all those who have completed their degree requirements the previous December, the current May, and the next June and August. If students are expected to complete their requirements by the end of Summer 1 term (June) or Summer 2 term (August), they may march in May’s Commencement ceremony.
Transcript
Transcripts are an official record of the student’s academic course work at Bay College, or work transferred to Bay College from another college or university. Once recorded, courses cannot be removed, and grades cannot be changed.
Grades
At the end of each term, students receive a mark or grade that is recorded on their transcript. The grade indicates whether they completed the course and how well they met the requirements of the course.
W, WP, WF - indicate the student withdrew from the course and did not complete requirements. No credit is earned.
A through D-, P - indicate the student completed requirements satisfactorily. Credit is earned.
F, NP - indicate the student did not complete requirements satisfactorily. No credit is earned.
AU - indicates the student attended the class and did some or all of the work, but was not required to complete all requirements. No credit is earned.
I - indicates the student requested an “Incomplete” which allows the student additional time to complete all course requirements. This is only granted when there are extenuating circumstances.
Bay College does not send Grade Reports. More details are available in the Records & Registration chapter of this catalog.
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