Hayes School of Music

The university policy on absence from class is stated in the General Bulletin (Select current academic year, click on Academic Regulations, scroll down to Class Attendance).  Each professor within the School of Music explains his/her individual policy during the first class meeting of the semester and provides a written statement concerning that policy within the course syllabus.  When a student is out of town and unable to return to campus due to hospitalization, death in the family, or other very extenuating circumstances, the student or her/his parents may contact the Office of Student Affairs (828) 262-2060 to request that professors be notified as to the reason for the absence.  This notification is conveyed to the School of Music as a matter of information only and does not serve as an official excuse for class absence.  Only individual faculty members make this determination, and the faculty members may request documentation.  The Office of Student Affairs does not provide this service when notification is received after the absence has occurred.  Also, if a student is in town, that student is responsible for notifying the individual faculty members that he/she will be absent from class.

Any student formerly enrolled as an undergraduate student at Appalachian may choose to re-enter the university under one of two forgiveness policies.  Either of these policies permit a student to retain all earned credit while resetting his/her institutional cumulative grade-point average to 0.00 for academic standing and graduation purposes.  Students wishing to return to Appalachian under forgiveness must apply for readmission, select the desired forgiveness policy, and send official college transcripts from all accredited institutions attended after leaving Appalachian.

Students returning under either forgiveness policy are considered for financial aid eligibility upon completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  Students not making satisfactory academic progress (SAP) towards the completion of a degree also need to complete a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form to be considered for financial aid eligibility.  More information on SAP and the appeal form can be found here:  Satisfactory Academic Progress/Academic Probation Warning.

For forgiveness policies, transferable credit is defined as:

1. completed coursework,
2. coursework that can be used for graduation purposes at Appalachian, AND
3. coursework that does not repeat an Appalachian course for which credit has been earned

To be considered for admission, students under the age of 21 must meet the high school minimum course requirements, as established by the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina System.  Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

One-Year Forgiveness

Any former Appalachian student who has not attempted any courses at Appalachian for a minimum of one calendar year (including summer terms) and has earned at least 30 new semester hours of transferable credit from other collegiate institutions since last attending Appalachian may apply for readmission under the One-Year Forgiveness Policy.  Eligibility for readmission under the One-Year Forgiveness Policy is determined by averaging all grades earned in transferable coursework at another accredited institution with all grades earned previously at Appalachian.  This combined average, as determined by Appalachian, must be at least a 2.00 on a 4.00 scale.

Two-Year Forgiveness

A former Appalachian student that has not attempted any courses at Appalachian for a minimum of two calendar years (including summer terms) may apply for readmission under the Two-Year Forgiveness Policy.  Eligibility for readmission under the Two-Year Forgiveness Policy is determined by averaging all grades earned in transferable coursework since leaving Appalachian.  This combined average, as determined by Appalachian, must be at least a 2.00 on a 4.00 scale.

Students returning under a forgiveness policy should consider the following:

• All courses taken prior to using a forgiveness policy will still be visible on the student's Appalachian transcript with the original grade and a notation that they are excluded from grade point average computation.  Students that have been granted forgiveness are not eligible to graduate with honors.
• Students may only be granted forgiveness upon re-entry and may only be granted forgiveness ONCE during their academic term.
• Forgiveness does not override specific grade requirements for specific courses, individual colleges/schools or departments/programs.
• After forgiveness has been granted, students must also complete a minimum of 30 hours in residence at Appalachian State University in addition to all other graduation requirements to be eligible for graduation.
• Students returning under a forgiveness policy will retain all attempted hour counts.  All attempted hours from attendance at Appalachian and all transfer hours continue to count toward the tuition surcharge and financial aid eligibility.
• Forgiveness does not affect the number of repeat grade counts available. Students are limited to four grade repeats during their academic career.
• Forgiveness does not affect the number of career drop counts available. Students are limited to four career drop counts during their academic career.
• The process of resetting the grade point average to 0.00 is completed within the first two weeks of classes in the student's re-entry term.
• Students must have earned a C or better in coursework in addition to other requirements for the credit to be considered transferable.

For an undergraduate student, a full-time load is defined as 12-18 hours per semester or 6-7 hours in a five week summer term.  Anything above 18 hours in a Fall / Spring semester or 7 hours in a summer semester is considered an overload.  Undergraduate students should take from 15-18 hours per semester in order to graduate in four years.  A student wanting to take an overload should complete the Overload Request in their Appalnet account.  Permission will be granted within the following parameters:

Fall / Spring:

• To take 19 hours, cumulative GPA must be: 2.50

• To take 20 hours, cumulative GPA must be: 3.00

For overloads exceeding 20 hours , students must contact the Associate Dean's Office (or the Director of Academic Advising for undeclared majors).

Summer (per term):

• To take 8 hours, cumulative GPA must be 2.50

• To take 9 hours, cumulative GPA must be 3.00

For overloads exceeding 9 hours, students must contact the Associate Dean's Office (or the Director of Academic Advising for undeclared majors).

Failure to earn the minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) will place the student on academic probation.

An undergraduate student, whether admitted as a freshman or a transfer, will be allowed to enroll for a total of two academic terms of probation (excluding summer) during his / her academic career at Appalachian.  These two terms of academic probation DO NOT have to be consecutive.

If a student uses the two terms of academic probation mentioned above, but again fails to earn a cumulative GPA sufficient for good academic standing, that student will be suspended.

Probation status is indicated on the grade report as follows:

•  Academic Probation - First Probation Term

•  Continued Probation - Second Probation Term

•  Academic Suspension - Ineligible to Return Fall/Spring terms

First Semester Zero GPA Suspension Policy

The exception to the minimum GPA policy applies to some students earning a 0.0 GPA.  Any undergraduate degree-seeking full-time student enrolled in her / his first semester (fall or spring) at Appalachian State University will be academically suspended if she / he receives a GPA of 0.0 (including "I" incomplete grades) for that semester and must return under the forgiveness policy.

Full-time students are defined for these purposes as students who are registered for 12 or more hours at the end of drop / add.  A student may appeal this type of academic suspension in writing to the Office of the Registrar prior to the subsequent term. A date for the appeal deadline will be set prior to each term.  The Office of the Registrar will convene an Appeals Board and the board's decision will be based on:

1.  The student's letter of appeal, which must include the reason for poor academic performance
2.  Documentation of extenuating circumstances
3.  A plan for improving academic performance

Student conduct records will be reviewed by the board in making their decision.  All students should note that the board's decision is final.  The First Semester / Zero GPA Suspension Appeal Request Form is available online at the Office of the Registrar's Forms webpage.

Academic Suspension

Students who have used their two terms of academic probation and again fail to maintain the minimum 2.0 GPA will be suspended from the university.  Suspended students may not attend during fall or spring semester and are only permitted to attend the summer terms in order to attempt to raise the GPA to the minimum 2.0 to be in good standing.

Suspended students should review the Academic Forgiveness Policies to determine if using a forgiveness policy would be a more beneficial way to re-enter the University.  Consultation with the Assistant Dean of the Hayes School of Music is advised.

To be in good academic standing, a student must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0.  Failure to maintain the minimum 2.0 will automatically place the student on academic probation during the fall or spring term that follows.  (Note: The cumulative GPA includes all courses taken at Appalachian (grades earned on coursework taken at other institutions do not affect the GPA at Appalachian, and are not used to determine academic standing). 

Effective fall 2014, there are some major changes to the Academic Standing policy.  Beginning fall 2014, academic standing will be determined based not only on the cumulative GPA, but also on the satisfactory completion of at least 67% of all cumulative attempted credit hours.  To remain in good academic standing (or to return to good academic standing after being on probation), the student must meet BOTH of the following requirements each term:

1.  2.0 cumulative GPA
2.  Successfully complete 67% of cumulative attempted credit hours

What are attempted credit hours and what does it mean to successfully complete 67% of cumulative attempted credit hours?

Attempted hours are:

• Courses taken at Appalachian (with either a passing or failing grade)

• Courses from which the student withdrew after the Drop / Add period (the first five days of classes) either by dropping the course or withdrawing from the university

• Courses repeated (even if no additional credit was earned for the course)

• To successfully complete 67% of the cumulative attempted hours, a student would need a passing grade in 67% of the hours listed above that were taken at Appalachian.

For example, if the student passed 60 hours, failed 6 hours and repeated 12 hours, he / she would have 78 cumulative attempted credit hours (even though there would be only 60 earned hours).  If you calculate 67% of 78, you will get 52.2.  Rounding that up, the student  would have to pass 53 of those 78 hours to have successfully completed 67% of them.  Since, in this example, the student passed 60 hours, he / she would meet this requirement.

The Office of the Registrar will notify all seniors ostensibly eligible to graduate (i.e., those enrolled for a sufficient number of hours to meet the University requirement) at the beginning of each term.  Notification will include information concerning the graduation procedure and deadline date.  Students have until the end of the "drop" period (i.e., the first five weeks of class) to apply for graduation.  Applications for graduation are filed with the Office of the Registrar.

Attempted Hours

Attempted hours are defined as all hours accumulated throughout a student's career at an institution (including all passed courses, failed courses, repeated courses, courses dropped after drop-add period, summer courses and transfer work).

For example, a student who:

•  Enrolls with 15 transfer credits

•  Takes five courses at three credit hours each (for a total of 15 credit hours)

•  Fails one three-credit course

Will end up accumulating 30 attempted hours at the end of the semester.

Note: Hours currently in progress are not calculated in attempted hours

Earned Hours

Earned hours are defined as credits attained from all courses (including transfer work, AP classes and summer courses) a student has successfully passed.  Withdrawals and failed courses do not count as earned hours.

For example, a student who:

•  Takes five courses at three credit hours each (for a total of 15 credit hours)

•  Fails one 3-credit course

Will end up accumulating 12 earned hours at the end of the semester.

Note:  Hours currently in progress are not calculated in earned hours

Repeats

You may only earn credit hours ONCE per course, regardless of the number of times the course is taken.  (A few courses are repeatable for credit if the content changes.  These are indicated in the Undergraduate Bulletin course descriptions.)  If you repeat a course that you originally passed and fail that repeat, you will lose ALL credit for the course.  If you already have credit for a course at ASU, you cannot take the course again at another institution and transfer it to ASU.

Grade Forgiveness

The first four courses you repeat will AUTOMATICALLY be processed as grade forgiveness courses.  You will not have to complete a form to have your first grade excluded from your GPA calculation.  If you have already used some "repeats" as grade forgiveness, this does not mean you get four more!  You will only be allowed 4 total, so if you have already used 2, you will have only 2 more.  If you don't want to have a course repeat automatically processed as a grade exclusion, you must complete a form before the end of the Drop/Add period for the term (1st five days in fall/spring; 1st or 2nd day in summer).  You can find the Grade Forgiveness Exception Form [PDF] on the Office of the Registrar's Forms page.

Exclusions

Grade forgiveness can be used only once per course. Only courses taken at Appalachian are eligible for grade forgiveness. Grade forgiveness may not be used on courses that have changed their content or credit hours. Questions may be directed to the Records Area of the Office of the Registrar at (828) 262-2051.

A student who carries 12-14 semester hours of work on which grade points may be computed and who attains a grade-point average of 3.45 or better is placed on the School of Music Dean's List of honor students for that semester.  A student who carries 15 or more semester hours of work on which grade points may be computed and who attains a grade-point average of 3.25 or better is placed on the School of Music Dean's List of honor students for that semester.  The Chancellor's List provides higher recognition to those full-time students who receive a grade-point average of 3.85 or higher in any semester.

The University College Academic Advising Center will notify all students who have completed 30 semester hours (including RC 1000 and UCO 1200) with a 2.0+ grade-point average that they should declare a major.  This is an on-line process.  Instruction on how to declare your major can be found at https://advising.appstate.edu/current-students/declare-your-major.  Although music students technically are not admitted to the School of Music until the major is declared, music students should receive academic advisement from the University College academic advisor of music beginning with the first semester of enrollment.

Note: Acceptance to the School of Music is contingent on successfull completion of the audition process.  Information on auditioning for the School of Music Degree Programs can be found at https://music.appstate.edu/prospective-students/auditions. 

A student can, without limit or penalty, add courses, drop courses, or change the sections of courses through the published "Drop-Add" period—i.e., through the first five days of a fall or spring semester.  An undergraduate student is allowed to drop a cumulative total of no more than four (4) courses after the published "Drop-Add" period.  (The phrase "cumulative total" should be understood to mean a total of four drops over the student's undergraduate career at Appalachian, excluding summer terms.)  A student who wishes to drop a course after the published "Drop-Add" period must do so by no later than the ninth week of the semester.  A course can be added after the published "Drop-Add" period only for exceptional circumstances, and requires the written permission of the Instructor and Associate Dean.

Exception to the Drop Policy

In rare circumstances, a late or extra drop may be requested if documented extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control occurred after the official drop date and prevented the student from completing a course. Students may review the Request for an Exception to the Drop Policy Form on the Office of the Registrar's website for more information.

Not Extenuating Circumstances

 Failing the course

• Course not needed for major

• Changed major

• Doesn't get along with the instructor

• Working long hours at outside job

Extenuating Circumstances (Documentation must be provided)

• Medical Issues - See Student Health Services

• Accident impairing attendance

• Death in the immediate family

The School of Music, at the request of the student, will perform a graduation audit.  The optimum time to schedule this audit is 2-3 semesters prior to the planned graduation date.  The student must schedule an appointment for this audit with the Hayes School of Music  Departmental Academic Advisor.  The Advisor will identify the remaining coursework, proficiencies, University requirements, etc. the student must complete prior to graduation.  The School of Music strongly recommends that each student request a graduation audit at the appropriate time in order to be informed of any existing graduation deficiencies.

Graduation Audits can be scheduled with the Departmental Academic Advisor here:  Schedule an Appointment

*You will be given the option of an online or in-person appointment.  Please select graduation audit in the drop down box that asks, "What type of appointment?"  Once you have selected a time on the calendar please return to the previous webtab and hit submit on the form.

Pass/Fail

The Pass/Fail option may only be taken by a full-time undergraduate student with sophomore standing or above who is in good academic standing.  Students may elect to take one course per semester (up to 6 in their academic career) under the pass / fail grading system.

The following rules apply to the Pass/Fail option:

•  A passing grade does not figure into the GPA, but a failing grade does.

• Only "free electives" may be taken pass/fail.

• No course in the major or minor, core curriculum or a foreign language requirement may be taken pass / fail.

• A student who elects the pass / fail option may remove the pass / fail option during the first nine weeks of the term.

• If a course taken under the A-F grading system is repeated, it must be repeated under the A-F system.

Performance Seminar will be held in the Rosen Concert Hall each Friday (1:00 p.m.).  Student performances or other activities are scheduled.  Students are expected to register for Seminar each semester enrolled with the exception of terms in which they are satisfying internship and student teaching responsibilities (CI 4900, MUS 4900, MUS 4901). 

Students are expected to attend ALL Seminar meetings.  Students must present their bar-coded ID prior to each seminar to receive attendance credit.  A grade of "Unsatisfactory" (U) will be awarded if a student misses more than two meetings.  Students MAY NOT GRADUATE with a "U" remaining in Performance Seminar.  Dr. Beebe is responsible for scheduling Seminar performances, in consultation with the individual studio teacher.  Dr. Jackson is responsible for monitoring Seminar attendance.  Questions related to other aspects of Seminar should be directed to the Office of the Dean of the School of Music. 

In order to receive a satisfactory grade, all students enrolled in Performance Seminar (MUS 1500) are required to attend 10 recitals/concerts each semester in addition to the regularly scheduled Performance Seminar meetings (Fridays, 1:00 p.m.).  This number does not include programs in which the student participates.  The objective of this policy is to expose students to a variety of music, and to make them aware of the performance level and achievements of their peers and of the faculty.  "Recitals/concerts" will be defined as all on-campus events sponsored by the Hayes School of Music.  Permission to count any other event may be requested, on an individual basis, through the office of the Associate Dean of the School of Music. 

Attendance will be recorded at each event sponsored by the School of Music.  In order to receive credit for the performance, students must present their bar-coded ID before and after the performance.  Students who arrive late or leave early will not receive recital credit. Programs will not be accepted for events where scanning was provided.  Students who are caught cheating in this course requirement will be subject to the University Academic Integrity Code policies and procedures.

Physical Education Credit Limitation

Non-physical education majors are not allowed to count more than six semester hours of PE activity courses towards their required number of hours for graduation.

PE Wellness Literacy Modules

As part of the General Education Wellness Literacy requirements, students must complete a series of wellness modules to earn credit for their wellness courses.  Transfer students who take PE activity courses at other institutions did not complete this wellness component, so their transfer PE courses are granted credit but NOT given equivalent credit for Wellness Literacy until these modules have been completed.  These courses transfer in as "PE ACTV" courses and will be used in fallthrough or free electives but not in the Wellness General Education area. Students who have these courses on their transcripts will have a message next to their Wellness Literacy requirement in DegreeWorks explaining that they must complete the wellness modules to move their PE ACTV into General Education.

Effective Summer 2017, new transfer students who take PE activity courses at other institutions and received credit are given equivalent credit for the Wellness Literacy modules.

For each PE course a student takes, they must complete three Wellness Literacy modules in order to receive credit for the course.  If the student completes the course and does not complete the modules, they will fail the course.  The first PE course are modules 1-3 and the second PE course are modules 4-6. If all 6 modules have been successfully completed and the student enrolls in a third PE course, they will not have to complete additional modules.  The student will receive information on how to purchase the modules in the course syllabus. Click PE Activity Course Wellness Literacy Module for more information.

A previously enrolled Appalachian student who plans to re-enroll and has not attended the university during a fall or spring semester due to withdrawal or suspension must be readmitted.

The readmission process is completed online and has a non-refundable $65 fee.  The readmission application can be found on the Office of the Registrar's website. In addition to the application, students must complete all items on the readmission portal by the application deadline.

Students must meet all residency requirements to earn a degree from Appalachian State University

•  At least 25% of all degree requirements must be from Appalachian State University

• At least 50 semester hours of credit must be from a senior (4-year) institution

• The last 30 semester hours of credit must be from Appalachian State University

• At least 18 semester hours of credit in the major must be from Appalachian State University

• At least 9 hours of credit in the minor must be from Appalachian State University

Petition for Equivalent Credit

A student may petition to have any course designated as Elective credit equated to a specific ASU course, by initiating the Transfer Coursework Petition process.

How to Petition:

• Review your Transfer Coursework Evaluation by selecting the "Class History" link on your DegreeWorks audit worksheet or by selecting the "Student Records" link under the "Student" tab in AppalNET / Banner Self-Service

• Familiarize yourself with the General Education and major check sheets to determine which ASU equivalent course you wish to petition for credit.

• Identify the elective transfer coursework that you feel might carry similar content as the ASU equivalent course you are seeking.

• Complete the Petition for Transfer Credit Form (PDF) and submit information to the Office of Transfer Services.  Please note that a separate form must be filled out for each department.

Special instructions to petition credit for R C 2001 "Second Year Writing"

The department chair or designated faculty member will review the petition and will decide, at their discretion, if equivalent course credit should be awarded.  You will be notified via e-mail when a decision has been made on the petitioned coursework.

Petition for General Education Credit

A student may petition to have any course designated as Elective credit reviewed for General Education credit, by initiating the Transfer Coursework Petition process.
How to Petition:

• Review your Transfer Coursework Evaluation by selecting the "Class History" link on your Degree Works audit worksheet or by selecting the "Student Records" link under the "Student" tab in AppalNET / Banner Self-Service

• Familiarize yourself with the General Education check sheet to determine which General Education credit you wish to petition

• Identify the elective transfer coursework that might fulfill a General Education requirement

• Contact the General Education Office at gened@appstate.edu or 828.262.2028 to initiate the petition process (all supporting documentation such as a syllabus or course description must be included).  The Office of General Education will decide if course credit should be awarded and notify you by e-mail.  For evaluation of music coursework transfer credits see Dr. Victor Mansure (music history) mansurevn@appstate.edu, Dr. Christina Hayes (piano) hayescj@appstate.edu, Dr. Jennifer Snodgrass (theory) snodgrassjs@appstate.edu, Dr. Jay Jackson (other classes) jacksnjc@appstate.edu.

For the most up-to-date information on Tuition Surcharge see the Office of the Registrar website.

The use of electronic devices during concert performances and Performance Seminar is prohibited.  Such use is disrespectful to the performers, distracting to audience members, and contradictory to the goal of concert attendance (i.e., active listening).  Students who are observed using electronic devices during a concert performance or Performance Seminar will not receive credit for attending that performance.

Students who drop out and then return to the university will have their credit reviewed for applicability.  Any credit earned more than 10 years prior to the date of re-entry is considered to be expired and may not be used for meeting degree requirements unless it has been approved.

The old credit must be reviewed for approval by the Office of General Education, the major department and the minor department (if applicable).  Any course not approved for use towards a degree must be taken again for credit.

Students should consult with the Office of the Registrar for more information on officially withdrawing from the university.  If you decide not to return to Appalachian for the following term, please notify the Office of the Registrar by completing the Discontinuation of Enrollment Form through your AppalNet account.

Important Considerations:

Financial Aid

A student seeking to withdraw should be directed to contact the Office of Student Financial Aid and view Appalachian's Withdrawal Policy to determine how current and future financial aid may be impacted.

Dropping to Zero Hours

If a student intends to stop taking courses and drop all enrolled courses to withdraw from the university, he /she must contact the Office of the Registrar to begin the official withdrawal process and establish a withdrawal date.  If the student stops attending all classes but fails to complete the official withdrawal process, he/she will be considered an unofficial withdrawal.  The Office of Student Financial Aid will be notified when students drop courses and are no longer enrolled in any other courses. Based on the Return of Title IV funds calculation, students may be required to repay all or a portion of the financial aid received.

Unofficial Withdrawal

An unofficial withdrawal is a student who does not successfully complete any of his / her courses (receives all F grades or U grades), stops attending classes and does not complete any coursework as of the 60% point of the semester or summer term without officially withdrawing from the university, as required.  An unofficial withdrawal may be required to repay up to 50% of the financial aid received for the term.

Students who never attended any of their classes and did not complete any coursework are required to repay 100% of the financial aid received for the semester or summer term. Students who stop attending all classes are required to officially withdraw from the University.

On-Campus Housing

A student residing in on-campus housing should be directed to contact University Housing to determine the cancellation policy.

Refund

The term refund means either:

1. Repayment of money received by the university for tuition and fees, or
2. Reduction of charges if tuition and fees have not yet been paid

Reduction of Class Schedule

If students reduce their class schedules (drop some but not all courses) during the first five days of classes (Drop/Add period), 100% of the difference in tuition and fees between the original and revised schedules will be credited to their accounts.
Students who reduce their schedules (drop some but not all courses) after the first five days of classes (after Drop/Add period) will not be eligible for a refund.

Withdrawal Checklist

Students seeking to withdraw should review the Withdrawal Checklist. This provides detailed information about necessary steps for the withdrawal process.