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DEGREE AND CURRICULA RULES

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS


Hilbert College awards the degrees of Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Applied Science (AAS), Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS), Master of Science (MS), and Master of Public Administration (MPA).

An associate’s degree requires the completion of a minimum of 60 credit hours and cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (equivalent to C). A bachelor’s degree requires the completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours and cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (equivalent to C. A master’s degree requires the completion of a minimum of 36 credits hours and a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (equivalent to a B). The number of actual courses and credits varies depending upon the program as described in this catalog.

Additionally, all undergraduate students must complete a minimum number of liberal arts and sciences credits depending on the degree sought. Please refer to the Liberal Arts and Science Requirements policy for more information.

Individual departments may require a minimum number of upper-level credits in order to meet curricular demands. Please reference individual program requirements for more information.

IN RESIDENCE COURSEWORK


In order to earn a degree from Hilbert College, students are required to meet the in residence coursework minimum requirements. Students earning a bachelor’s degree must complete 30 credit hours of course work at Hilbert College. Student’s earning an associate’s degree must complete 15 credit hours of course work at Hilbert College.

Depending on a student’s program of study, certain courses may be required to be completed at Hilbert College. It is the student’s responsibility to confer with the department chair for these requirements.

Official transcripts will only calculate grades for coursework that has been completed at Hilbert College.

CLASS STATUS/ANTICIPATED GRADUATION YEAR


Class status is ordinarily defined in terms of the anticipated graduation year. The anticipated graduation year is determined by the requirements a student has met within the department and/or the credits outstanding for completion of degree requirements.

For financial aid purposes and online registration priority, class status may be defined in terms of credit hours earned rather than credit hours outstanding.

CHANGE OF CURRICULA


All major changes must be approved by the department chair of the department the student is changing their major to. Students who wish to change majors must submit a change of major form through Self-Service. Change of majors will only be processed between academic semesters.

COURSE LOAD


UNDERGRADUATE

The normal course load for undergraduate students is 15 credit hours. Most classes at Hilbert are 3 credit classes. More than 18 credit hours may be carried with the approval of the Department Chairperson and the Academic Dean. There is a fee for each credit hour beyond 18. Registration for 12 or more hours constitutes full-time status.

GRADUATE

Graduate classes are 3 credit classes. The normal course load in the graduate programs is 9 credit hours. Registration for 9 credit hours constitutes full-time status. If graduate students carry less than 9 credit hours or for some other reason are no longer following courses in sequence, they may need to wait until the next class in the sequence is offered. While graduate students generally should take courses in the modality for which they sign up (hybrid or online), flexibility will be offered to students where possible.

CREDIT HOURS

Per New York State guidelines, credit, point, or other unit granted for the satisfactory completion of a 15- week course requires at least 15 hours (of 50 minutes each) of instruction and at least 30 hours of supplementary assignments per semester. This basic measure is adjusted proportionately for other formats. For a 7.5-week course, this would be at least 30 hours (of 50 minutes each) of instruction and at least 60 hours of supplementary assignments per semester.

FINALIZING ACADEMIC RECORDS


The college confers degrees at the conclusion of the fall semester, spring semester, and summer term. All final grades and official transcripts for transfer work must be received by the degree conferral date. According to federal reporting requirements, a very brief grace period is allowed to change or receive a final grade, which occurs between degree conferral and beginning of reporting (dates vary each year). Once reporting has begun, the academic record is considered complete and final. No further changes will be made unless there is a documented clerical error. It is the responsibility of the student or faculty to notify the Student Records Office of a clerical error within 30 days of the graduation date.

If a student has not completed all their coursework and not received a grade by the reporting deadline, they will be removed from the graduation candidate list for that semester and will be moved to the next semester for graduation.

If readmitted to the college after the degree is conferred, a student may return to campus and take additional Hilbert College coursework towards additional degrees per the subsequent degree policy. Course repeats are not permitted after a degree is conferred per the course repeat policy.

DUAL DEGREE AND DOUBLE MAJOR


Students may opt to pursue completion of requirements for more than one academic program, resulting in either a Dual Degree or a Double Major.

DUAL DEGREE: A dual degree results in a student being conferred with more than one degree. Degrees may be pursued concurrent or consecutively to each other. In earning two separate degrees, at least 30 credits of specialized, program-specific coursework should be unique to each degree. General education, liberal arts, and all college curriculum may be applied to both programs when applicable. Dual degrees may only be granted for different degrees (Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts).

DOUBLE MAJOR: A double major is the awarding of one degree with two majors (e.g., the student completing a double major of Criminal Justice and Crime Scene Investigation earns one BS degree). Students fulfill all requirements of each major in addition to satisfying all Hilbert College requirements. This may be completed within the usual 120 credit minimum, and may not exceed 150-credits. Double majors must be between departments leading to the same degree. For example, a student may not have a double major between criminal justice (BS) and psychology (BA). Both majors’ requirements must be complete before the student’s degree can be conferred. Following conferral of the degree, the student’s transcript will note one baccalaureate degree with two majors, while the diploma will indicate the single degree (ex. Bachelor of Arts).

Students wishing to file for a Dual Degree or a Double Major must file a declaration with the Student Records Office, at which point the office will review the request. Students are required to meet with their Academic Advisor, Division Chair(s), and Financial Aid before approval is granted.

Students may not declare a Dual Degree or Double Major until their sophomore year. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to be eligible.

LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES REQUIREMENTS


New York State guidelines mandate a minimum number of credits in the liberal arts and sciences for each specific undergraduate degree. Furthermore, the guidelines indicate that these credits should not be directed toward specific occupational or professional objectives.

Students earning an associate of arts degree must complete a minimum of 45 credits in the liberal arts and sciences.

Students earning an associate of applied science degree must complete a minimum of 20 credits in the liberal arts and sciences.

Students earning a bachelor of arts degree must complete a minimum of 90 credits in the liberal arts and sciences.

Students earning a bachelor of science degree must complete a minimum of 60 credits in the liberal arts and sciences

What comprises the liberal arts and sciences?

The liberal arts and sciences comprise the disciplines of the humanities, natural sciences, mathematics, and social sciences. The guidelines indicate that the following areas should be included in the liberal arts and sciences:

HUMANITIES

  • English—composition, creative writing, history of language, journalism, linguistics, literature, literature in translation, playwriting

  • Fine arts—art appreciation, history or theory

  • Foreign languages—composition, conversation, grammar, history of the language, literature of the language, reading, translation studies

  • Music—music appreciation, history or theory

  • Philosophy—comparative philosophy, history of philosophy, logic, schools of philosophy

  • Religion—comparative religion, history of religion

  • Theater—dramatic interpretation, dramatic literature, dramaturgy, history of drama, playwriting

NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS

  • Natural sciences—anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, earth science, geology, physics, zoology

  • Mathematics—calculus, mathematical theory, statistics

  • Computer Science—broad survey/theory courses

SOCIAL SCIENCES

  • Anthropology, cultural studies, economics, geography, government, history, political science, psychology, sociology

  • Criminal justice—introductory and broad survey courses

  • Communications—interpersonal communication, mass communication, public speaking, speech and rhetoric

POSTHUMOUS RECOGNITION OF A STUDENT


In the event that a current student dies prior to completing their degree, Hilbert College will recognize the student for the work completed posthumously as a gesture of compassion for the student’s family. There are two posthumous recognitions that may be granted for students, the posthumous degree and the posthumous certificate of recognition.

Posthumous Degree: Awarded upon the passing of a student who is nearing completion of their degree requirements. Criteria for a posthumous degree are:

  • Completed at least 75% of required coursework towards their declared major. Courses the student is enrolled in at the time of death will be counted towards the 75%.

  • The student was enrolled at Hilbert College at the time of death.

  • The student was in good academic standing according to the academic standards set forth by Hilbert College as outlined in the catalog.

  • The student was in good financial standing with the college with the College.

Posthumous Certificate of Recognition: If the student does not meet the criteria for posthumous degree at the time of death, the student will be granted formal recognition from Hilbert College for their studies. Criteria for a posthumous certificate of recognition are:

  • The student has attempted at least 12 credit hours at Hilbert College.

  • The student was enrolled at Hilbert College at the time of death.

  • The student was in good academic standing according to the academic standards set forth by Hilbert College as outlined in the catalog.

  • The student was in good financial standing with the college with the College.

Exceptions to above listed criteria may include, but are not limited to:

  • An interruption by injury, illness, deployment, etc., in the student’s continuous enrollment.

  • Serving in the armed forces.

Process for posthumous recognition:

A member of the college’s faculty or staff or family member of the deceased may request consideration for a posthumous degree or posthumous certificate of recognition. This request should be made to the Registrar, where it will be evaluated to confirm that the request meets the criteria. After evaluation by the Registrar, the request will be presented to the Vice President of Academic Affairs for consideration. A request approved by the Vice President of Academic Affairs will be presented to the college’s Board of Trustees for approval. Upon approval, the Registrar will indicate the award of posthumous degree or certificate of recognition on the student’s diploma. If all requirements were met prior to death, the Registrar will confer a degree or certificate with no posthumous designation on the transcript if the student who is deceased had applied for graduation and had completed all program requirements.

PRIOR LEARNING CREDIT


Prior Learning credit may be awarded for college-level learning that students have already acquired from work, training, and life experiences. Applications for prior learning credit approval shall be course-specific, i.e., the student will need to provide justification for each course for which approval is sought.

In order for work, training, and/or life experience to be considered for credit, a portfolio shall be assembled by the applicant that explains and documents applicable experiences and what was learned from them. Applicants shall demonstrate how the specific course objectives have been met through prior experience. Requests for approval of prior learning credit will be evaluated by the department within which the course is housed to determine whether credit can be awarded. Approved prior learning credits may be used for required courses in the major or minor, or as elective credits.

The maximum number of credits students may apply to an undergraduate degree is 30 credits, so long as the student continues to meet the residency requirements per the in-residence course policy. In granting approval for prior learning credit, the following factors shall be taken into consideration.

  • The length and duration of the experiences submitted for consideration

  • The quality of the student’s self-assessment of learning

  • Whether the learning is college-level

  • Whether sufficient and appropriate documentation has been provided in support of the student’s claims

  • Whether the portfolio includes all the required components and meets all other requirements as requested by the department

All prior learning credits will be recorded as credit only, rather than by a grade. Final approval for credit will be up to the department chair.

RETURNING HILBERT COLLEGE STUDENTS


Hilbert College graduates who return to earn a second bachelor’s do not need to complete Hilbert College general education, liberal arts, or all college requirements. Students who have received a degree from Hilbert College may not return to add a minor or concentration to an already conferred degree.

SUBSEQUENT DEGREES


Students who have already received an undergraduate degree may choose to return to obtain a subsequent degree. In order to receive a subsequent degree, a student who has previously earned an undergraduate degree from any accredited U.S. institution must apply and be accepted into Hilbert College as a matriculated student.

Students pursing a subsequent degree must have the full range of skills, competencies, and experience in the major as students who complete the requirements for the regular degree program. Thus, students must meet all requirements for the major. The two degrees must be in significantly different fields of study; therefore, 300 and 400 level coursework completed for the first bachelor’s degree will not count toward completing the major requirements of the second degree. In the rare circumstance when a single course taken for the first degree program is a required course in the second degree program, a course substitution in the second degree may be approved by petition from the undergraduate division chair of the new program.

To be considered for conferral of the subsequent degree, students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours while matriculated for the subsequent degree.

TIME LIMIT FOR COMPLETING DEGREE


The Hilbert College catalog, including degree requirements, is updated annually and expires after eight years. Students may obtain a degree or certification according to the course requirements for a degree or certification stated in the catalog under which they first entered the college, provided the courses are being offered; or, students may choose to graduate under the catalog requirements in effect during any subsequent year in which they are registered, provided the program and courses are offered. The above provisions, however, are subject to the restriction that all requirements for a degree or certification must be completed in eight years from the date of the catalog chosen and that the courses are still offered.