• Auditing Courses
• Credit Hour
• Developmental Courses
• Final Examinations
• Full-Time Course Load and Freshman-Sophomore Classification
• Independent Study
• Prerequisites and Co-requisites Information
• Repeating a Course

Auditing a Course

If you wish to attend a course without taking an examination or receiving credit for the course, you may register on an audit basis by completing the Registration Form and selecting the audit section on the form.

Students who register on an audit basis will pay the regular tuition rate and must meet the course prerequisites or receive special permission from the instructor.

If you wish to change from audit to credit or from credit to audit after the course is underway, you must process the change through the Enrollment Services Department before the specified date for a particular term. Dates are prorated for courses less than 16 weeks in duration. Students cannot count audited courses to establish full-time or part-time status.

Credit Hour

One unit of course work equivalent to 15 contact hours of classroom instruction. A typical college course is equivalent to 3 credit hours.

Developmental Courses

Developmental courses are non-transferrable credit classes that prepare students for college-level work. These courses represent a broad spectrum of academic areas including math, reading, English and study skills. Developmental courses relate directly to SCC's career and college transfer programs, making it possible for students with academic skills deficiencies to prepare for regular college-level courses and be successful.

Developmental courses can be identified by numerical prefixes below 100 and can be found in course listings under Mathematics, English, Reading, Biology, and College Development. Many developmental classes are taught in the classroom while others are available as individual study units through the Academic and Career Enhancement (ACE) Tutoring Center. Students may use academic resources, computer tutorials and tutoring services in the ACE Tutoring Center to assist them with developmental classes.

Students successfully completing developmental courses should be well prepared for college-level classes.

Final Examinations

To complete courses and receive passing grades, all students must complete a comprehensive final examination. Absences from final examinations, with the privilege of taking makeup tests, must have prior approval of the instructor.

Full-Time Course Load and Freshman-Sophomore Classification

Students at SCC are classified according to hours enrolled and hours completed. Part-time students earn fewer than 12 hours per semester, while full-time students carry 12 or more. During the summer semester, full-time student status requires 6 or more credit hours (for academic purposes). Full-time status for financial aid in the summer is 12 or more credit hours.

Course Load	Fall/Spring	Summer
Full time	12 or more hours	6 or more
Part time	11 hours or less	5 or less

A freshman is any student who has completed fewer than 28 credit hours; a sophomore has completed 28 credit hours or more.

Except as indicated below, the maximum number of credit hours for which a student may enroll during the fall or spring is 18. During the summer, the maximum is 10 hours taken concurrently. Any course repeated counts as part of the course load.

It is recommended that the maximum course load for each of the following academic sessions be observed:

MAXIMUM COURSE LOAD

Academic Session	Course Load
Summer	10 credit hours
Fall	18 credit hours
Spring	18 credit hours

Repeated courses count as part of the course load.

Students with a superior scholastic record may be permitted to register for more than the recommended maximum providing they meet the following GPA prerequisites:

• 2.75 GPA – approved to take 19 hours
• 3.00 GPA – approved to take 20 hours
• 3.50 GPA – approved to take 21 hours

Students wishing to take more than 21 hours must receive special permission from the Academic Affairs Office.

A veteran, in order to receive maximum assistance under the Veterans Education Law (G.I. Bill), must carry at least 12 hours of credit per semester.

Independent Study

Independent study may be used to complete the requirements for regularly offered courses. If you wish to take a course on an independent study basis, you must get approval through the appropriate division dean. The course curriculum must be developed and pursued under the direction of a faculty member.

Prerequisites and Co-requisites Information

Some courses offered at SCC require either a prerequisite or co-requisite (or both) before enrolling. All prerequisites or co-requisites are identified in the Course Descriptions section of the SCC catalog.

If you have already completed an identified prerequisite at another college, proof of prerequisite (report card or transcript) will be required. An advisor or enrollment services assistant can verify that the prerequisite has been fulfilled.

Prerequisite Defined

A prerequisite is a condition of enrollment that you are required to meet prior to enrolling in a course. These prerequisite courses provide the minimum level of proficiency knowledge needed for successful achievement in the next level course.

• You must obtain written approval of any exceptions. Exceptions to prerequisites may be made by the student talking with the course instructor and having them sign the registration form. This form must then be returned to Enrollment Services.
• If you are taking or have just completed a prerequisite course for which SCC has not yet received grades, you may register for the advanced course; however, you must withdraw from the advanced course if the grade you received does not satisfy the requirement of "successful completion." 

Example: Successfully complete Psychology 101 before enrolling in Psychology 201.

Co-requisite Defined

A co-requisite is a course that needs to be taken concurrently with another course. This is very typical with science courses.

• You must sign up for both the course and any co-requisite. If you later wish to drop the course, you must also drop the co-requisite. If you fail the course, you may be allowed to repeat that course without retaking the co-requisite. However, you will not be allowed to advance in a sequence of courses until both have been successfully completed.

Example: CHM 101 and co-requisite CHM 103 (lab)

Repeating a Course

You may repeat any credit course one time. All grades from each attempt are recorded on the transcript, but SCC will use the higher grade to calculate the grade point average (GPA). Exceptions to this rule include PE activity courses and some music courses, in which all attempts will be calculated in the student’s GPA. For financial assistance eligibility, all attempts will count towards maximum hour limits and completion ratio.

Some colleges and universities will recalculate the grade point average for admissions purposes and include both grades earned.

Students wishing to attempt a course for the third time must speak with a counselor or the department chair to obtain permission to enroll. In general, courses may not be attempted a fourth time.