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SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
MEMORANDUM
To: ?
Senate
From: ?
A. MacKinnon, Chair
Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies
Subject: ?
Proposed changes to the Academic Credit Hour load limits
(SCUS Reference 233)
Date:
S.03-7
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Action undertaken at the December 10, 2002 meeting of the Senate Committee on
Undergraduate Studies gives rise to the following motion:
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"That Senate approve changes to the/Academic Credit Hour load limits as set
forth in S. 03-7 p-
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SCUS 02-33
1 ?
RECORDS AND REGISTRATION
OFFICE OF THE DEAN OF STUDENT SERVICES AND REGISTRAR
From: ?
Diane Whiteley, Director of Admissions and Records
Nick Heath, SIMS Team Lead
Date: ?
December 6, 2002
To:
?
SCUS
Title: ?
Academic credit hour load limits
Proposal
• That maximum credit hour loads be changed effective Fall Semester 2003 to make the limits
independent of the accumulated credit hours (i.e. level) of the student.
• That each Faculty include in University publications advice to students, especially new
students, on prudent credit hour loads.
• That, where necessary, the Office of the Registrar provide reports listing students who
exceed the credit hour limits for action by academic program areas.
Background
Currently, students' maximum credit hour loads for a given semester are governed by Faculty,
credential and level (i. e. upper and lower division.) (Current limits are shown on the attached
chart.) In other words, students are restricted in their registration to a maximum number of credit
. ?
hours. The SIMON system automatically prevents a student from registering in an overload.
For example:
For a regular semester registration, an ARTS BA student having:
• less than 60 credit hours is permitted to have a maximum load of 16 credit hours.
• 60 credit hours or more is permitted to have a maximum load of 18 credit hours.
For an Intersession or Summer Session registration, an ARTS BA student having
• less than 60 credit hours is permitted to have a maximum load of 8 credit hours.
• 60 credit hours or more is permitted to have a maximum load of 9 credit hours.
Additionally, if the student registers in a combination of Intersession/Summer Session and
regular Summer Semester courses, the Simon system automatically calculates the appropriate
maximum load and prevents the student from registering in an overload.
Currently, to exceed the maximum load limits, a student must gain approval from her/his
Faculty. SIMON is then manually over-ridden to allow the student to register in the approved
load.
In the PeopleSoft Student Administration system, maximum credit hour loads can be set by
semester and session for each academic program. Maximum loads cannot, however, be set by
level (e. g. one maximum for students with 60 credit hours or more, another for those with less
is ?
than 60.) The cost of system modifications to accommodate our current rules are prohibitive and
do not appear to be justified.
Furthermore, PeopleSoft Student Administration can prevent students from registering in an
overload for courses contained
within a
semester or
within a
session. Unlike Simon, it cannot,
prevent a student, who registers in a combination of regular semester and other session courses,
from registering in an overload.
Recommendation
Therefore, we recommend that credit hour load limits by level be eliminated and that a single
credit hour maximum be set for students in a given Faculty, credential and program (called
"academic program" in PeopleSoft) as per the proposals above.
.
.
2
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For Information
SIMON CREDENTIAL OVERLOAD REFERENCE TABLE
Source: SRG3800T
Faculty ?
Credential ?
Lower level Upper level
max load ?
max load
APSC
BA
Communications
16
18
APSC
BASC
Engineering Science
22
22
APSC
BGS(APPL SCI)
16
18
APSC
BSC
Computing Science
16
18
APSC
BSC(IART,TECBC)
Interactive Arts
16
18
APSC
BSC(ITECTECBC)
Information Technology
16
18
APSC
BSC(KINES)
Kinesiotogy
16
18
APSC
CERTIFICATES
various
16
18
APSC
PBD
various
16
18
APSC
SPECIAL
16
18
APSC
VISITING
16
18
ARTS
BA
16
18
ARTS
BFA
Fine & Performing Arts
16
18
ARTS
BGS
16
18
ARTS
CERTIFICATES
various
16
18
ARTS
EXCHG
Formal Exchange
16
18
ARTS
PBD
various
16
18
ARTS
SPECIAL
16
18
ARTS
VISITING
16
18
BUS
BBA
16
18
BUS
PBD
16
18
.
BUS
SPECIAL
16
18
BUS
VISITING
16
18
EDUC
BED
16
18
EDUC
CERT(LIT INST)
Literacy Instruction
16
18
EDUC
PBD
16
18
EDUC
PBD(ECE)
Early Childhood Educ
16
18
EDUC
PDP
18
18
EDUC
SPECIAL
16
18
EDUC
VISITING
16
18
SCI
BSC
18
18
SCI
BSC(GENERAL)
18
18
SCI
CERT(ACTUARIAL)
Actuarial Science
18
18
SCI
PBD
16
18
SCI
PBD(ENVM)
Environmental Toxicology
16
18
SCI
SPECIAL
18
18
SCI
VISITING
18
18
0
