Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture Academic Information

Academic Bankruptcy

Academic Bankruptcy is available to NCTA students who have a GPA or CGPA of less than a 2.0 and have completed no more than two academic semesters.

To apply for Academic Bankruptcy, the following conditions must be met:

Prior to or by the end of the first week of a semester or summer session, an application for Academic Bankruptcy must be submitted to a committee consisting of the Academic Lead, the previous major Advisor and the new major Advisor if changing majors, or a faculty member from the major the student is enrolled in.
Following the Academic Bankruptcy application, all grades for the semester/session in which a student is enrolled for a minimum of 12 credit hours must be a 2.0 or above. If this requirement is met, all grades that are less than a 2.0 will be removed from grade consideration. If this requirement is not met, the student’s grades will not be removed from grade consideration. Application for Academic Bankruptcy does not have any effect on eligibility for financial aid. All students on financial aid must continue to meet the “Standards of Progress”.

Academic Integrity and Responsibility Conduct.

Students are expected to be honest in all aspects of their college work.

The University of Nebraska Student Code of Conduct states: Students are expected to approach and complete their academic work with integrity. They are expected to do their own work, to be honest in the statements they make, to refrain from harming others, to refrain from improperly helping others, and to follow the rules. Students must read instructions and syllabi carefully so that they know what their instructors expect in terms of academic integrity.

Students who are unsure whether or not particular conduct is appropriate should ask their instructors or university administrators. Failing to act with integrity is a violation of the Code. A student fails to act with integrity when they engage in or attempt to engage in any of the following conduct.

Cheating, which includes, but is not limited to:
1. Copying from another student’s exam, assignment, or project.
2. Using materials during an exam or for an assignment that are not authorized by the instructor.
3. Using devices during an exam that are not authorized by the instructor.
4. Taking any materials out of the exam room (for example, the exam itself or scratch paper) that the exam instructions prohibit students from taking.
5. Making an electronic copy of part or all of an exam, unless the instructions authorize making a copy.
6. Possessing a copy of an exam or assignment that the student knows or should have known that they are not authorized to have.
7. Working on an exam or assignment with someone else, unless group work has been authorized by the instructor.
8. Taking an exam for another student, or allowing their exam to be taken by someone else.
9. Taking all or part of work that someone else prepared and submitting it as one’s own.
10. Taking all or a substantial part of an assignment submitted for one course and submitting it in another course, without the authorization of the instructor for that course.
Dishonesty, Falsification, and Fabrication, which includes, but is not limited to:
1. Making false statements to avoid taking an exam or submitting an assignment at the scheduled time.
2. Making false statements to avoid a penalty for failing to take an exam or submit an assignment at the scheduled time.
3. Making up or purposefully misstating information or sources in any assignment or research project.
4. Engaging in plagiarism by presenting the words or ideas of another person as one’s own.
5. Making changes to a graded exam or assignment and then representing that the changes were part of the original exam or assignment.
Harmful Academic Action Towards Others, which includes, but is not limited to:
1. Interfering with another person’s research or academic work.
2. Knowingly making false charges that another student violated these Standards.
Improperly Helping Others, which includes, but is not limited to:
1. Helping another student on an exam or an assignment when the student is not authorized to receive help.
2. Knowingly helping another student violate these Standards, including, but not limited to, sharing an instructor’s teaching materials without permission.
3. Unauthorized distribution, electronically or otherwise, of an instructor’s course materials.
Failing to Follow the Rules, which includes, but is not limited to:
1. Failing to follow the instructions of an exam proctor.
2. Failing to follow testing center rules.

Academic judgments about a student’s work (including questions of cheating) are the responsibility of the instructor. Normally, disagreements are resolved by means of the conference between the student and instructor. However, if a student feels (s)he is treated unjustly, (s)he can take their case to their Academic Lead (if the Academic Lead should be his/her instructor, (s)he may then present his/her case to the Chair of the Academic Council). The instructor must inform the student of this right. The student may make a further appeal to the NCTA Dean if (s)he is not satisfied with the Academic Lead’s and Academic Council’s responses.

One or more violations involving cheating may be cause for the student to be placed on probation or dismissed from college.

Academic Standards

Probation, Dismissal, and Withdrawal

Good Academic Standing: A cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.000 or greater.

Academic Probation: A temporary status due to low academic grades. Improvement in academic grades is needed for continued enrollment. A student is placed on probation due to one of the following conditions:

Semester or Cumulative GPA is lower than 2.000
Conditionally admitted as a transfer or new freshman
Readmitted after leaving while on probation or when dismissed for academic reasons

Academic Dismissal: Termination of enrollment due to one of the following conditions:

Semester GPA and Cumulative GPA is less than 2.000 at the end of two successive semesters.

If a student earns a 2.500 or higher GPA in the 2nd semester of Academic Probation, but the cumulative GPA is below 2.00 for 2 successive semesters, the student will be granted an additional or third semester on Academic Probation.

Readmission Application Timeline Following Dismissal:

One semester must lapse if academically dismissed.
Two years must lapse if academically dismissed, readmitted, and failed a second time to earn the required grade point average.

Appeal Process to Dismissal: If circumstances were so unusual and out-of-the-ordinary that academic performance was significantly and temporarily impacted, the dismissal decision may be appealed. The appeal process is handled by the Associate Dean.

Adding a Class

Students are encouraged to meet with their advisors and register for classes on MyNCTA prior to the start of the semester. Students may add classes before the semester starts and during the first week of a semester or session. However, students cannot register for classes until after financial obligations are satisfied.

Students may not add classes after the first week of each semester with the following exceptions:

For classes listed in the Class Schedule or Schedule of Classes as starting after the first week of the semester, students may register for the class during the first week of the class with permission of the instructor. Registering for a class after the official start of the semester may prevent students from receiving financial aid for that class.
In rare instances, an advisor may admit a student up until the end of the second week of the semester with written authorization of the Dean or Associate Dean. This exception is reserved to incidents of extreme hardship.

After adding a class, students are encouraged to check their MyNCTA account to determine the impact of the additional class on the student’s financial obligation.

Student Attendance Policy

Class attendance and participation is a primary requirement for success as a college student. Therefore, NCTA students are strongly encouraged to attend all classes. However, absence may occur under certain circumstances. The purpose of this policy is to outline procedures for addressing classroom absence.

Absence for Approved College Activities

NCTA students are often presented with the opportunity to participate in approved college activities (hereafter referred to as “enrichment activities”) which conflict with regularly scheduled classes. Examples of enrichment activities include field trips, attendance at special college lectures, and participation on college teams such as the crops judging team, the ranch horse team or the livestock judging team. Participation in enrichment activities is an important part of an NCTA education and it is one of the primary attributes that differentiates an NCTA education from that received at a more traditional lecture-based college.

Students are encouraged to participate in college sponsored enrichment activities, however they need to integrate these activities with the requirements of regularly scheduled classes. NCTA faculty understand the value of enrichment activities and accommodate reasonable student absence for participation in approved activities. Students participating in college sponsored enrichment activities which conflict with regular class hours may be excused from the classes they miss if certain conditions are met. However, the very nature of some classroom activities will not allow makeups even if the absence is excused. When a class and an approved enrichment activity create a time conflict, students may choose to attend the enrichment activity or to attend classes on the day of an enrichment activity.

To determine the impact of missing class to participate in enrichment activities, refer to your course syllabus for the attendance policy of each professor. Before missing class, students are required to visit with faculty about coursework they will miss. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain assignments prior to the arranged absence. The student needs to inform faculty at least one week in advance before their absence. Faculty is encouraged to accommodate the needs of students participating in college sponsored enrichment activities. At the discretion of the instructor, permission may or may not be given to make up missed class work and/or tests.

When faculty plan enrichment activities which may take a student out of a regularly scheduled class, faculty are responsible for alerting the campus, generally via email, to identify which students will be participating in the enrichment activity. If some students don’t attend on the day of the activity, it’s the responsibility of the faculty member to alert other faculty about this lack of attendance in a timely manner.

Absence for Illness

Students with a contagious disease should not attend class. Students with serious illnesses will be excused from class activities after appropriate documentation is conveyed to faculty. When students are well enough to attend class, they should do so. Students are encouraged to discuss makeup procedures with faculty as soon as possible after the onset of the illness.

The Curtis Medical Center is available to NCTA students for the evaluation and treatment of illness. When scheduling appointments at the Curtis Medical Center, avoid scheduling a visit during a time which conflicts with your class schedule. If a visit to the Curtis Medical Center must be scheduled at a time that conflicts with class, students should secure a note from the Medical Center and deliver that note to faculty teaching the missed class. NCTA Student Attendance Policy July 2016

Impact of Absence on Financial Aid

Missing class can affect financial aid. When students stop attending classes at NCTA, federal regulations require that the Office of Student Services and Financial Aid determine the last day of attendance for all students who do not officially withdraw from the college. If the last date of attendance is not reported for each student, the law stipulates that mid-point for that semester be used as the drop date, which could result in a substantial financial aid repayment penalty for the student.

Leave of Absence

For unusual circumstances, a temporary leave of absence may be obtained. To receive authorization for a leave of absence due to illness, students will need to secure a written statement from the doctor as supporting documentation. A leave of absence does not relieve a student from meeting all course requirements. Refer to the Leave of Absence Request form found on the Common X: NCTA FORMS/STUDENT SERVICES FORMS

Audit Registration

Students desiring to attend a course without taking examinations or receiving credit for the course may register in an audit status with permission of the course instructor and their advisor. Students who register for an audit course will pay all regular fees.

Students may change from audit to credit or credit to audit with permission of the course instructor and their advisor only within the first week of the session.

Students auditing a course will receive no credit and a grade of AU (Audit) will be noted on the transcript for the course.

Students receiving financial aid or veteran’s benefits cannot count audited courses in determining course load.

Certificate Program

The certificate programs vary in required credit hours.

All students enrolled in a certificate program must abide by NCTA’s academic standards and the Standards of Progress for financial aid.

Commencement, Degrees and Certificates

An Associate of Applied Science Degree, Associate of Science Degree or Certificate is granted to students who meet all prescribed requirements. These include passing grades in each required course, having completed the minimum semester credit hours required for the major they are enrolled in, successful internship and a minimum accumulated average grade of 2.0 (C).

Students who expect to receive a degree or certificate must file an “Application for Degree” in the Office of Student Services according to the following criteria:

Completing Degree requirements in:

NCTA: Completing Degree Requirements
Month	Date
May	December 1
August	December 1
December	October 1st

All accounts must be paid in full, with no current or pending disciplinary actions and/or other necessities associated with commencement. A $25 nonrefundable degree application fee must accompany the application for the degree. The fee applies only to the term marked on the application and is not transferable to another term. Caps and gowns are purchased from The Welcome Center.

Course Repeats

If a student repeats a course in an effort to improve his/her level of competency, both grades will appear on the transcript, but only the grade received the second time is used in calculation of the accumulative GPA. This does not apply to courses with grades of a C (2.0) or above.

NCTA Grade Table

NCTA: NCTA Grade Table
Letter	Range	Points	Letter	Range	Points
A+	100.0 - 100.0	4.00	C+	73.3 - 76.3	2.33
A	90.0 - 99.9	4.00	C	70.0 - 73.3	2.00
A-	86.7 - 90.0	3.67	C-	66.7 - 70.0	1.67
B+	83.3 - 86.7	3.33	D+	63.3 - 66.7	1.33
B	80.0 - 83.3	3.00	D	60.0 - 63.3	1.00
B-	76.3 - 80.0	2.67	F	00.0 - 60.0	0.00

Credit Hours

The maximum credit hour load a student can take per semester is 18 hours with a maximum credit hour overload of 21 with permission from their advisor.

Credit Transfer

Incoming Students

Those students who have had post-secondary education prior to attending the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture may request that their transcripts be reviewed. This review is to determine if prior education may be used in meeting a student’s NCTA degree requirements. In all cases, evaluations must be initiated by the student and each will be made on an individual basis. Inquiries on credit transfer are to be made to the incoming student’s advisor. A minimum grade of 2.0 (C) is required on any course for which transfer credit is requested (only credit hours, not grades are transferred). Transferred credit has no effect on a student’s NCTA grade point average.

NCTA maintains structures or practices that ensure the coherence and quality of the programs for which it awards a degree. Typically NCTA requires that, at minimum, 15 credits for the associate’s degree be awarded at the college. Exceptions may be granted for approved arrangements with other accredited institutions, or through contractual relationships approved by the Higher Learning Commission.

Dean’s List and Honor Roll

At the end of the fall and spring semester, students who have shown outstanding academic achievement are placed on the Dean’s List or Dean’s Honor Roll based on the following criteria:

Dean’s List: (a student must meet all of the following criteria)

Earn a semester GPA of 4.00
Complete a minimum of 12 credit hours, 9 of which must be letter graded (A), (NO P/F)
Have no final grade of an I (incomplete)

Dean’s Honor Roll: (a student must meet all of the following criteria)

Earn a minimum semester GPA of 3.50
Complete a minimum of 12 credit hours, 9 of which must be letter graded (A, B, C). (NO P/F)
Have no final grades of D, F, or I (incomplete)

Dropping a Class

During the 8-week modular semesters and/or 16-week semester, a student may drop a course on MyNCTA up until the last drop period. If the course is dropped during the first week of the session, the dropped course will not appear on the student’s academic record.

If a student withdraws from a class after the first week and prior to the last drop period, a “W” will be recorded...no credit given...and the credit(s) will not be averaged into the student’s GPA. No withdrawals will be allowed after the last drop period, which is two weeks before the start of finals.

Students withdrawing from ALL classes must drop their classes on MyNCTA and complete the check-out form from the Student Services Office. The same withdrawal policy for dropping a course, as mentioned above, will be followed. A student may not withdraw from a course after the course has ended.

Financial Obligations

It is the responsibility of the student to satisfy all financial obligations to NCTA before class enrollment can be completed, prior to release of records, and upon application for a degree. All fees and other charges may be changed at any time by the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.

Grades

Grades of I (Incomplete), W (Withdrawal), N (No Pass, for P/NP course), AU (Audit), and P (Pass, for P/NP course) are not assigned grade points and therefore are not used in computation of a student’s grade point average.

Students are given the opportunity and encouraged to discuss their grades with their Academic Lead/Advisor and/or their instructors.

Grade Appeals

The NCTA Academic Council hears appeals from students on course grades received within all college programs. The committee will hear such appeals, however, only after the student has followed the process listed.

Appealed without satisfaction to the course instructor.
Notified the Director of Academic Services, then the Associate Dean of the circumstances and filed an appeal with each.
The student is to provide to the Academic Council a written statement stating the grounds of the appeal. Both the student and the course instructor will be given an opportunity to present materials to the NCTA Academic Council in the presence of each other.
A student will have 30 days following the beginning of the next session to protest a posted grade from the previous session. If no protest is received the grade will stand. After that time any grade change will need to be approved by the Academic Council. This does not apply to Incompletes.

Grade Point Average (GPA) Computation

Grade point averages are computed for each term and accumulated for the duration of attendance. Credit hours accepted for transfer from another institution are excluded in grade average computations. Withdrawals from courses resulting in a “W” and “I” are disregarded in the grade point average computations. All grades resulting in failure (“F”) are used in computing averages.

Holds/Service Indicators

Academic and administrative offices can place holds on your registration which prevent registering or changing your registration schedule. Holds are placed for a variety of reasons (academic, financial, etc.) Failure to meet a payment deadline will result in a financial hold which prevents adds for a registered student. If a hold was placed on your registration after you have registered, your registration will not be automatically cancelled. However, you will not have registration access to adjust your schedule for subsequent terms until the holds are cleared. If you have a hold you will not be able to participate in extra-curricular activities.

Honor Graduates

Graduating students who have shown outstanding performance and dedication in their academics are honored with the following distinctions.

Cum Laude – 3.50-3.74

Magna Cum Laude – 3.75-3.99

Suma Cum Laude – 4.00

Incomplete (“I”) Courses

When unusual circumstances beyond the student’s control, e.g., serious illness, etc., prevent the student from completing course requirements, the instructor should be notified as soon as possible during the semester. In such cases, the instructor may award the student an incomplete (“I”) instead of a final grade at the end of the session/semester. The “I” is recorded on the student’s grade report and transcript.

The student will be given one full semester to change a grade of incomplete (I) to a completed grade. This time interval may be shortened by the instructor. Any incomplete not completed by the end of the makeup semester will convert to failure (“F”) on the student’s grade report and will remain permanently on the student’s transcript.

Pass/No Pass Policy

All courses at NCTA are graded by letter, score, or percentage except for:

Internships because there is no instructor to determine a score; internships are also not structured like courses.
Developmental courses, because they are used to develop skills in preparation for courses that are applied to degrees.
The S.T.A.R.S. course work is not designed to warrant a score. Students do not have the opportunity to choose whether a class is graded or pass/no pass.

Student Eligibility

Students who participate in the following must meet the group’s eligibility rules:

Members of Student Senate and Student Ambassadors
Students involved in extracurricular activities where they will be absent from class
Club Officers
All competitive and extracurricular activities
- Ineligible students will be allowed to practice with their respective teams
- Ineligible students will not be allowed to travel or suit up with the team

Standards of Eligibility

Residence Life- Students must be enrolled in at least six credit hours to live in Residence Life Housing.
Clubs and Intramural Sports- Students must be enrolled in at least one credit hour to participate.
Teams- Students must be enrolled full time or at least 12 credit hours.

Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA for each semester to participate.

Student Status

NCTA: Student Status
Weeks/Session	16	8
Full Time (credit hours)	12	6
3/4 Time (credit hours)	9	4.5
1/2 Time (credit hours)	6	3

Student Code of Conduct

Students at the University of Nebraska are members of an academic community in which academic integrity and responsible conduct are essential for the community to function. To ensure that students know what is expected of them, the University has adopted the Standards of Academic Integrity and Responsible Conduct (“Standards”) found in the current Student Code of Conduct.

All allegations of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking are investigated and addressed following the procedures set forth in Executive Memorandum No. 38.

Withdrawal from NCTA

Withdrawal from college will be handled the same as a class withdrawal. Each course the student is enrolled in will be handled separately. Students will be charged tuition in accordance with the college refund policy. Failure to officially withdraw from College will result in a grade failure (“F”) for all registered classes. Students, after withdrawing from class, must fill out the checkout form from the Registrar’s Office. Students are responsible for dropping their classes on MyNCTA.