Course and Grade Information

The Course Numbering System

Each course includes an academic discipline prefix followed by four numerals (Example: HIST 3305). The first numeral indicates the academic level of a course; Academic Achievement is indicated by a “0”; freshman-level courses by a “1”; sophomore-level courses by a “2”; junior/senior-level courses by a “3” or “4”; courses restricted to graduate students by a “5.”

After taking a higher level course, a student is not allowed to take the prerequisite of the course for credit. For example, if a student successfully completed MATH 1304 - College Algebra , the student would not be allowed to take ACAC 0325 - Pre-Algebra  and ACAC 0326 - Elementary Algebra  or MATH 1300 - Intermediate Algebra .

The second digit indicates the semester hour credit given for the course. The third and fourth digits represent the position of the course in the sequence of offerings by the discipline.

Example: HIST 3305

  HIST - History curriculum
  3 - Junior level course
  3 - Three semester hours credit
  05 - Fifth course in the sequence of history courses

Other indicators used in the numbering system include:

1. Career and Technology courses are indicated by CTED prefix. 
2. Hyphenated numbers, which indicate that the first semester course is usually a prerequisite to the second (GERM 1301-1302).
3. Directed Study Courses indicated by a section number of 99 (HIST 3305.99). 
4. Practicum Courses indicated by a 60-69 in the final two digits (EDUC 4361).
5. Experimental/Special Courses indicated by a 79X in the final digits (ENGL 4379X). 
6. Honor Courses indicated by a 90-99 in the final two digits (MATH 4691).

Definition of Courses

Lower-Level Courses

Those courses designated as freshman or sophomore level. At Wayland these are indicated by a “1” or “2” in the initial digit (Example: ENGL 1301).

Upper-Level Courses

Those courses designated as junior or senior level courses. At Wayland, these are indicated by a “3” or a “4” in the initial digit (Example: EDUC 3301). All degrees and most subcomponents of degrees (i.e., major, minor) require a specified number of upper-level credits.

Unique Courses

In addition to its lecture and laboratory courses, the university offers a number of courses to meet unique needs. These include:

Directed Study Courses

Directed study courses are those taken by independent study when schedule problems confront senior-level students or when a special program is designed for an individual student. They carry a section number of 99. The content and the degree of difficulty of a directed study course are the same as for the regular course for which it is substituted. The following restrictions and procedures apply to all directed study courses.

1. A directed study course may not be taken during the same term in which the course is offered on the regular schedule.
2. Directed study courses may be taken only in the student’s major or minor field, and at least 12 semester hours must have been completed in both the major and the minor.
3. Courses taken by directed study must be junior or senior level, and they may not be substituted for lower-division courses in the general education requirements.
4. Courses in the general education requirements may not be taken directed study. 
5. Directed study courses may be offered only by full-time faculty members. 
6. A maximum of six credit hours in directed study courses may be applied toward a degree.
7. A minimum of one hour each week must be spent with the instructor, and at least 90 clock hours of study are normally required in addition to that time spent with the instructor.
8. There are no directed studies at external campuses except those taught by full-time faculty and approved by the executive vice president/provost.
9. Directed study courses must be requested on the appropriate form, which is available in the University Registrar’s office and must be signed by the student, faculty advisor, dean, and executive vice president/provost prior to registration. For students whose primary campus is external, the external campus executive director signature is also required.

Travel-Study Courses

Travel-study courses are designed as enrichment for regular course offerings within the various academic disciplines and require special approval by the Academic Council. Students participating in these courses must submit reservation fees at least four weeks before the departure.

Practicum Courses

Practicum courses are designed to provide the student with field experiences in a particular area of study.

Special Courses

Special courses are offered to complement course offerings in a department or school and to permit experimentation with a new subject. All special courses must be approved by the Academic Council prior to being offered.

Honors Courses

These courses are designed to challenge academically superior students and to assist them in developing initiatives and abilities beyond those expected in a normal course of study.

Definition of a Credit or Semester Hour

A semester hour is a unit of credit given for a minimum of 15 hours of lecture or 45 hours of laboratory per term. Each class hour generally requires an average of two hours of preparation by the student, with preparation times ranging from one to three hours per class hour. Although most courses are for three-semester hours credit, course credits vary. 

Definition of Grade Points

Grade points are earned as follows for each semester hour completed.

Calculation of Grade Point Average (GPA)

The GPA is used to determine academic standing. Academic standing, in turn, affects a number of things including scholarships, athletic eligibility, and graduation honors. All hours taken, except where CR, NCR, W, WP, WF, I, IP, and X are received, are used to determine the GPA. In instances when a course is repeated, only the last grade and corresponding grade points are counted in the cumulative GPA (see Repetition of a Course). GPA is calculated on a 4.0 scale.

The Grading System

Grades for courses shall be recorded by the symbols below:

Other symbols used for grading include:

Faculty Grade Submission Deadlines

All faculty, instructors and adjunct instructors are required to adhere to grade submission deadlines as listed for their respective campus in the official academic university calendar portion of this catalog.

Change of Grade

A change of grade (among the values A, B, C, D, F) may be made only if there has been an error in computation or recording of the grade, or if a change has been ordered as a result of the grade appeal process. A grade may not be changed because of consideration of work completed following the end of the grading period for which the grade was issued. The change is initiated by the instructor of record and approved by either the academic dean of the school of record or the external campus executive director/dean for courses completed at an external campus. For such a change to be valid, it must be submitted to the university registrar on or before the last day of the semester following the term in which the grade was originally issued, and on the form provided for that purpose.

Changing the Grade of Incomplete

A grade of incomplete is changed if the work required is completed prior to the last day of the next long (10-15 weeks) term, unless the instructor designates an earlier date for completion. If the work is not completed by the appropriate date, the I is converted to the grade of F. An incomplete notation cannot remain on the student’s permanent record and must be replaced by the qualitative grade (A-F) by the date specified in the official University calendar of the next regular term. An incomplete turned to a qualitative grade will be indicated by the notation I/grade on the student’s transcript.

Grade Reports

Grade reports are available to students at the end of the semester through the on-line student information system. Deficiency reports are sent at mid-semester to those students enrolled on the Plainview campus who have been reported as making unsatisfactory progress by their instructors. Only the final grade for a course is permanently recorded.

Course Syllabus

A course syllabus will be provided to each student on the first day of class. At a minimum, each Wayland undergraduate syllabus is to include the following elements in the order listed: 

1. Wayland Baptist University, campus name, academic school name (e.g., School of Languages and Literature) 
2. Wayland Mission Statement
3. Course Name - alpha, numeric, section, course title (e.g., ENGL 1301 - Composition and Rhetoric)
4. Term 
5. First and last name of instructor 
6. Office phone number and WBU email address (home phone and cell phone optional) 
7. Office hours, building, and location 
8. Class meeting time and location 
9. Catalog description
10. Prerequisites 
11. Required textbook and resource materials
12. Optional materials
13. Course outcome competencies
14. Attendance requirements
15. Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty 
16. Disability statement - In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), it is the policy of Wayland Baptist University that no otherwise qualified person with a disability be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity in the university. The Coordinator of Counseling Services serves as the coordinator of students with a disability and should be contacted concerning accommodation requests at (806) 291-3765. Documentation of a disability must accompany any request for accommodations.
17. Course requirements and grading criteria

Following statement must be included following Course requirements and grading criteria: Students shall have protection through orderly procedures against prejudices or capricious academic evaluation. A student who believes that he or she has not been held to realistic academic standards, just evaluation procedures, or appropriate grading, may appeal the final grade given in the course by using the student grade appeal process described in the Academic Catalog.  Appeals  may  not  be  made  for  advanced  placement  examinations  or course  bypass examinations. Appeals are limited to the final course grade, which may be upheld, raised, or lowered at any stage of the appeal process. Any recommendation to lower a course grade must be submitted through the Executive Vice President/Provost to the Faculty Assembly Grade Appeals Committee for review and approval. The Faculty Assembly Grade Appeals Committee may instruct that the course grade be upheld, raised, or lowered to a more proper evaluation.

18. Tentative schedule (calendar, topics, assignments)
19. Faculty may add additional information as desired