General Academic Information
Advising. Upon enrollment, each degree-seeking student is assigned an academic advisor by Blue Mountain College. The student is encouraged to meet with the advisor periodically during each semester. The faculty advisor is responsible for planning the class schedule, providing up-to-date information regarding careers, referring students to the proper source for assistance, and for providing encouragement for students. When faculty advisors are unavailable, student may have assistance in the area of academic advising through the office of Student Success and Career Services.
Regulations for meeting the requirements for a degree, including courses, majors, and residency requirements, have been established by Blue Mountain College. Advisors, faculty, and department chairs will help a student meet these requirements. The final responsibility for meeting degree requirements, however, rests with students, who need to monitor carefully their progress toward a degree.
Orientation. Orientation is designed to create an environment for first-time Blue Mountain College students by providing opportunities for learning methods to support their success in college. A variety of experiences and topics are included during the orientation sessions such as participation in small group experiences, understanding the purpose and values of BMC, issues that relate to students, and the services and resources of BMC.
Registration.Dates for registration are published in the academic calendar. Students may initiate the registration process by enrolling in classes for the following semester/term on dates designated in the academic calendar. In order to enroll in classes, a student first meets with the academic advisor, who enters the student schedule electronically. Registration is not complete until students have clearance from the Office of Business Affairs. Students who complete registration after the announced registration period will not earn the cash incentive.
VA Benefits: A beneficiary of Chapter 31 or 33 VA educational benefits who qualifies for admission to Blue Mountain College following guidelines listed in Policy 2.03 Admissions will be approved to register for classes upon the presentation of the beneficiary’s certificate of eligibility and can attend or participate in a course of study until such time that the educational benefits are received by the College or for 90 days after the College Certifying Official certifies tuition/fees to the VA. During this time, the student will receive no financial penalties including late fees, denial of access to classes, libraries, or school facilities. Also, the College will not require that the beneficiary borrow additional funds due to the inability of the student to meet his/her financial obligations to Blue Mountain College as a result of delayed payments for VA educational benefits under Chapter 31 or Chapter 33, unless the student is less than 100% covered.
Student Success and Career Services. The Office of Student Success and Career Services provides assistance to students in three areas: scheduling/degree completion, attendance and student persistence, and career services. The staff assists students from enrollment to degree completion by monitoring degree progress, maintaining support for at-risk students, and offering resources for students who wish to pursue graduate work or to move directly into the job market. Students may access information on career services from the Office of Student Success and Career Services, located in Lowrey Administration Building, or by consulting the Student Success and Career Services web page on the BMC web site.
Tutoring Services. The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) is a free service to students who wish to improve their grades by enhancing their study skills and using their time wisely. In the TLC, students have access to thirty computers (including 10 Mac’s) and are given individualized attention by faculty and student tutors. Several programs are available including sessions on time management, stress management, and plagiarism. In addition, there are tutorials for mathematics and science, research documentation, and help for non-native speakers of English. Various tutorial workshops are offered throughout the year including topics such as test-taking skills and taking essay exams.
Classification of Students
Policy 2.07
The classification of students is based on their standing at the beginning of any regular session. Hours include accepted transfer work.
| Freshman: |
0-29 semester hours. |
| Sophomore: |
30-59 semester hours. |
| Junior: |
60-89 semester hours. |
| Senior: |
90 or more semester hours. |
Academic Load
Policy 2.09
The minimum semester hour load to be considered a full-time student at Blue Mountain College is twelve hours during either the fall or spring semester and six hours each term of the summer session. These numbers exclude any courses that a student may be auditing.
Eighteen semester hours is the maximum load for freshmen during regular semesters. Six semester hours is the normal maximum load allowed for any student taking courses during a BMC summer term. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors must have a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 3.00 in order to take loads in excess of 18 hours during either the fall and/or spring semester(s) and then only with the recommendation of the student’s advisor and the department chair and with the approval of the Provost. A 3.00 CGPA is also a minimum requirement for those students wishing to take loads in excess of six hours during a summer term–the above noted permissions are also required for students seeking to exceed this limit. Appeals for exceptions to this policy may be made to the Provost.
Under no circumstances will students be permitted to take in excess of 21 semester hours during a regular semester (including any courses that are being audited) or nine hours during either of the four-week summer terms (including any courses that are being audited).