Academics FAQs

Are you new to College? Or just new to D&E? Learning new words and terms is a part of getting comfortable in any new situation, so here is our quick list of the frequently asked questions we get in academics that you may also need to know.

Academic calendar – published for each academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters and terms). Gives the starting and ending dates of each semester/term. It also gives dates of add/drop, mid-term grades, last date to withdraw, holidays, and so forth.

Add/Drop – a time at the beginning of each semester or terms for a student to make changes and adjustments in their academic schedule for that semester. To add and drop courses requires the signature of the student’s advisor (or the advisor processing the request in WebAdvisor) and to add a closed class requires the signature of the instructor. Courses dropped will not appear on the student’s transcript.

Catalog or College Catalog – published annually. Provides the detailed information of College academic programs, courses and course descriptions, academic policies, graduation requirements, and so forth. Defines the terms, and becomes a “contract” with the student for their college work and graduation requirements.

Class schedule – published for each semester and term. Lists the courses offered (not all courses listed in the catalog are offered every semester – some are alternate year courses, others are offered every fall or spring, etc.) in a particular semester or term. The class schedule gives the day(s) of the week, times of the day, instructor, and location of each course. The class schedule is available on WebAdvisor (use the “Search for Sections” option) which provides the most up-to-date information on class availability.

Credit hours = semester hours – the way the relative value of each class is measured. One credit for a lecture course is approximately equal to one hour of class time per week for the entire semester. Therefore 1 academic credit would be awarded for 13-15 hours of “lecture” type attendance. The equivalent number of hours is built into the shorter winter and summer terms (that is, still approximately 15 hours work for 1 credit). Many courses are worth 3 credits because they meet for 3 hours each week. A full-time course load is 12-18 credits per semester with a typical load being 14 or 15. Experiential courses such as science laboratories, nursing clinicals, student teaching, musical performing groups receive different credits not as closely tied to hours per week.

Enrollment Verification – documentation provided for the purpose of verifying full time enrollment status at Davis & Elkins College. Students often need this for health/automobile insurance, low income housing programs, loan deferments, etc. The enrollment verification is obtained in the Registrar’s Office, AH103.

General Education – a program of required courses and course selections required for a student to earn a degree from Davis & Elkins College. This is the “liberal arts” component of the curriculum. General education requirements are the same for all bachelors’ degrees and are different but consistent within the Associate degrees.

Grade point average (GPA) – a way of summarizing the academic performance of a student. Grades carry weight (A=4 points, B=3, C=2, D=1, and F=0) as do courses (designated by credit hours). Total points earned for a course is determined by multiplying the grade points by the credits for the class. GPA is then determined for a semester , or overall, by adding all the points and dividing by the total GPA credits. GPA credits include all hours attempted except courses the student withdraws from, receives an incomplete grade in, or for pass-fail courses.

Major – the academic discipline a student studies in order to graduate. A student will “major” in history, biology, nursing, business, etc. and must fulfill the requirements for that major outlined in the catalog. Majors require from approximately 36 credits to over 70 credits depending on the discipline.

Minor – the academic discipline a student takes courses in to support their major. Minor requirements are in the catalog but are fewer credits than majors. A minor is typically 18-20 credits.

Semesters and Terms – define the length of an academic period. Davis & Elkins College has a fall semester (13-15 weeks long), a Winter Term (three weeks), a spring semester (13-15 weeks long) and two four-week summer terms. The traditional academic year, late August through mid-May includes the fall semester, Winter Term, and spring semester.

Transcripts – are records of a student’s performance at a college. Unofficial transcripts are available via a student’s WebAdvisor account. Official transcripts (which are required for most job applications and so forth) must be requested through the Registrar’s Office either in person in AH103 or online on the College website.

Withdraw (from a course) – to get permission to officially stop attending a class. To withdraw from a course requires the student’s advisor’s signature. When a student withdraws from a course that course will be on the student’s transcript with a grade of ‘W’ which does not enter into the grade point average.