Ringling College of Art and Design

ACADEMICS POLICIES

Mid-term Warnings
Final Grades
Transfer Credit
Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)

Degree Information

Declaration and Change of Major

Midterm Warnings

All students receive a grade of S-Satisfactory or U-Unsatisfactory at midterms.  A U grade is given is the grade is a  C- or below.  Students are advised to meet with the instructor and their academic advisor to discuss ways in which they can improve their performance.  Mid-term grades are available on Self Service.

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Final Grades

Ringling College of Art and Design no longer mails grade reports unless the student does not make satisfactory progress.  Students may access their grades on Self Service by going to the website:  my.ringling.edu and logging in by using their user name and password.  Students who are on Academic Probation will be mailed a student copy of their transcript and a letter explaining the terms of the Academic Probation period.  Students who are eligible for Academic Dismissal will be sent by certified mail a student copy of their transcript and a letter explaining the reasons for dismissal.

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Transfer Credits

Transfer credit is granted for college-level courses earned at a regionally or NASAD accredited institution of higher education for which you received a grade of  “C” or better that meet a course requirement for your degree program.  Grades do not transfer and do not affect your Ringling College of Art and Design GPA.  Studio credits are evaluated for transfer credit by the Office of Admissions.  Liberal Arts credit is evaluated by the Office of Advising, Records and Registration

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Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)

In accordance with the Family Educational rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), students may inspect and challenge college educational records maintained in their name.  Ringling College of Art and Design’s policy defines a student as any person who attends or has attended the College.  Educational records are defined as any record in any media maintained by the College that is directly related to a student except for the following:  personal records kept by a staff member not accessible to other persons, records created and maintained by the College's operations or security for law enforcement purposes, employment records where employment is not contingent on the fact that the individual is a student, records maintained by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist or other recognized professional used only for treatment of a student and alumni records containing information after the student is no longer in attendance that does not relate to the person as a student.

Students may inspect and review their educational records upon written request to the Registrar or appropriate records custodian.  Arrangements for access will be made a promptly as possible, but no longer than 45 days from the date of receipt of the request.  The College has the right to refuse a student access to their records under the following circumstances:  the student has an unpaid financial obligation to any College office or department, the student owes overdue materials or equipment to the Library or other College office or department, there is an unresolved disciplinary action against the student, or the educational records requested is an exam or set of standardized test questions.

The College reserves the right to release a student’s educational records without their written consent to college officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the records, including the parents of an eligible student who is claimed as dependent for income tax purposes.  At the discretion of the College, information regarding student abuse of alcohol or drugs not prescribed by a physician may be reported to the parents of students 21 years of age or younger.  Information considered “directory” may be released to other members of the College community without the student’s prior written consent unless the student notifies the College in writing by the end of the first week of classes of the semester.

The College’s complete FERPA policy is available from the Office of Advising, Records and Registration Services.

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Degree Information

Bachelor's Degree Programs [BFA and BA]

The studio, liberal arts, and art history curricula are integrated within the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree program.  The Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) consists of business, studio, liberal arts and art history courses.  To be eligible for a BFA or BA degree, students must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on a four-point scale; have passed a  miminum of 123 semester hours; and have completed liberal arts, art history, and departmental requirements in their major. A minimum of 45 semster hours, to include the last year of the program, must be taken at Ringling College of Art and Design.

Coursework for the BFA degree is to be distributed as follows:

Coursework for the BA degree is to be distributed as follows:                   

Declaration and Change of Major

 Change of Major forms are available in the Office of Advising, Records, and Registration Services.  They must be signed by an academic advisor and department head for the student's prospective major.  Admission to majors with limited space is decided on a competitive basis with incoming transfer students.  Students must declare a major during the first semester of their first year.  Changing the major after completing the first year will incur an additional year of study.