FAQ
A student must earn a chapel credit for every full-time semester (minimum of 12 semester hours) enrolled at Ouachita, up to a maximum of 7 credits. Chapel credits are not required during the semester of student teaching or participation in an international studies semester. Chapel credit is granted at the conclusion of each semester
In order to receive a semester’s chapel credit, a student must attend at least three-fourths of the regularly scheduled chapel programs or complete the Open Chapel requirement. (To receive a chapel credit, a student can miss no more than 4 chapel programs.) In exceptional circumstances, students who are deficient in chapel credits may be allowed to enroll in Chapel Make I or II through the Office of Academic Affairs.
OPEN CHAPEL: Juniors or seniors may opt to take an open chapel for one semester. The student may pre-register for open chapel during the normal pre-registration process. Open chapel verification reports may be obtained in the Dean of Students’ office at the beginning of each semester. Completed reports must be turned in to the Dean of Students’ office by noon on Wednesday prior to final exams in order to receive a chapel credit. A student may not enroll in both chapel and open chapel concurrently.
TRANSFER STUDENTS: Transfer students are required to earn 1 chapel credit for every semester of full-time enrollment at Ouachita, up to a maximum of 7 chapel credits. Full-time enrollment is defined as a minimum of 12 semester hours. No chapel credit will be awarded for chapel attendance at former colleges or universities.
SECOND DEGREE STUDENTS: Students who attend Ouachita to seek a second degree are required to earn 1 chapel credit for each semester they are enrolled as a full-time student, up to 7 credits. If the student’s first degree is from Ouachita, the chapel requirement has been met.
ACCELERATED STUDENTS WITH CLEP AND/OR AP: Students who have received credit for CLEP and/or AP must earn a chapel credit for each semester of enrollment up to 7 credits.
The chapel requirement is for all full-time students.
A four-digit number is assigned to each course in the university curriculum and is unique within the department or school that lists the course. Half-credit courses are indicated by a 5 following the decimal point.
The first digit of the course number indicates the course’s academic level. If the first digit is 1, the course is primarily for freshman; if 2, for sophomores; if 3, for juniors; and if 4, for seniors.
The second and third digits usually designate the order in which the course is to be taken in relation to other courses in the same department. For example, CORE 2313 should be taken before 2323. Special middle digits 70-99 are used to indicate special categories of courses. For example, 70-79 are used for variable topics courses in some departments; 80-96 for special courses, individual studies and workshops; and 98 for Honors Directed Studies, Seminars and Thesis. For example, Philosophy 2981 indicates an Honors Directed Study in that department.
The fourth digit (and fifth, in some instances) indicates the amount of credit assigned to the course. For example, CORE 1013 indicates that three semester hours are considered attempted and three hours credit are given for successful completion of the course. MUEN 1000.5 Concert Choir, indicates one-half hour of attempt or credit.
A student may repeat a course in which a D or F has been previously recorded. The second and any succeeding grades will be used to calculate the grade point average, though all grades will appear on the transcript. If a student repeats a course in which a C or better has been recorded without prior Deans’ Council approval, both grades will be included in the GPA, though credit hours will be recorded only once. Courses being repeated count toward the total load.
Ouachita provides guidance for one’s studies in two ways:
- by the admission and degree requirements, and
- by faculty members who advise individual students toward their educational and vocational objectives.
Freshmen are assigned to an academic advisor, but students may change advisors at will in the office of the dean of the school of their major.
A student must file a degree plan in the appropriate dean’s office as soon as the degree objective is decided. A degree plan is the official declaration of a student’s major. Students who entered as freshmen may not participate in registration, including pre-registration, for their first junior semester until a degree plan is on file with the school dean. Transfer students who enter as sophomores or higher must file a plan during the first semester in residence, no later than the beginning of the pre-registration period.
The student prepares a degree plan stating curriculum objectives-including courses in the CORE, the major, the minor, and electives-to meet all degree requirements. The degree plan, developed in consultation with the academic advisor, becomes the program which, if completed successfully, leads to the conferring of the desired degree.
The student is responsible for the content and successful completion of the degree plan. Since the advising program and the degree plan are aids in meeting degree requirements, it is advantageous to file as early as possible.
Special students are those registered for fewer than 10 semester hours or not pursuing a degree program in the University.
An undergraduate student is not entitled to class privileges until certified by the Registrar as a member of that class. A student becomes a sophomore after earning 29 , a junior after earning 59, and a senior after earning 89 semester hours.
| Class Standing | Hours Earned |
| Freshman | 0 – 28.5 |
| Sophomore | 29 – 58.5 |
| Junior | 59 – 88.5 |
| Senior | 89 – and above |
The average course load is 16 hours per semester. Fewer than 12 or more than 18 hours per semester is considered outside the range of the normal load. A person carrying 12 or more hours is classified as a full-time student. A student carrying more than 18 hours per semester must have the written permission of the dean of the school in which enrolled. Those registered for fewer than 10 semester hours, or not pursuing a degree program in the University, are classified as special students.
Overload exceptions will be based on the following grade point requirements: 18.5 hours, 2.80 cumulative GPA; 19 hours, 3.30 cumulative GPA; 20 hours, 3.60 cumulative GPA; 21 hours, 3.90 cumulative GPA. Loads over 21 hours will not be allowed.
In any semester, students may not register for more than 3 courses under the same instructor unless they have the approval of the departmental chair and permission from the dean o f the school.
A student may not simultaneously register in another school without written prior permission of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs. The student’s semester load will be determined by the total number of hours attempted in all institutions and is subject to the limits explained above. Students must receive written approval prior to enrolling for courses at another college or university either in person or by correspondence. The approval form is available in the Academic Affairs Office.
