College of Nursing

Other Advising Issues

 

To Add and/or Drop Course(s)

General Education Courses
It is recommended that students who wish to add or drop a general education course should check with their advisor to verify what effect, if any, this action may have on their progression.

Nursing Courses
To drop or add nursing courses students must meet with an advisor.

  1. Withdrawal from individual courses must be completed by the student following the guidelines outlined in the University Bulletin. (Cessation of course attendance alone is NOT considered official withdrawal from course work.) In order to withdraw passing, the withdrawal must occur before the specified dates as outlined in the Schedule of Classes online. It is suggested that students meet with faculty if withdrawing from a course after the specified dates outlined in the Schedule of Classes as faculty have a choice of allowing you to withdraw with an Excused grade (EX), or with a grade of F. The grade you receive will depend on your progress in the course at the time of withdrawal.
  2. Students may NOT enter a nursing course after the first week of the term. No credit will be allowed for a course in which the student is not formally registered.
  3. See Fee Reassessment section of the Cashiers web page for Refund Policy.

Withdrawal from the University

If a student finds it necessary to withdraw from all courses, the student must see an advisor to complete the appropriate forms.

Grade Modification

When the grade received in an initial attempt in an undergraduate course at UM-St. Louis is a D+, D, D-or F, the grade may be replaced in the calculation of the GPA by the grade received in a second or subsequent attempt of the same course at UM-St. Louis. All grades received in second and subsequent attempts will be included in GPA calculations. A maximum of 15 hours may be dropped from the calculation of the students GPA. All attempts of a given course will appear on the official transcript with the grade(s) earned. The transcript will have an explanation, which states that the GPA is calculated using all grades earned in a course except the initial attempt when a course has been repeated and grade modified.

Please note: Grade modification is NOT automatic. After completing the second or
subsequent attempt of the course to be modified, students must process the necessary paperwork with an academic advisor.

Please note: When calculating the GPA for admission to the BSN Clinical Major, all attempts of all courses taken at the University and transferable course taken at other institutions will be calculated in the GPA regardless of grade modification.

Independent Study Guidelines

Independent study is available as an elective means of increasing knowledge within the students content area. The course number - NS 3873 (Undergraduate level) or N 6875 (Graduate level), is listed in the course schedule with names of available faculty. The following guidelines are to be followed:

  1. The student is responsible for identifying and initiating contact with a faculty member in whose content area the student is interested.
  2. The student and faculty member must establish mutually agreed upon course objectives and evaluation criteria. The agreement is to be recorded on a form, which may be obtained from an academic advisor. This form must be completed PRIOR to registering for the course.
  3. The faculty member provides guidance as needed throughout the course; the degree of independence will vary with student learning objectives.
  4. Credit allocation can vary from one (1) to three (3) credits per semester depending on the nature of the objectives and content requirements. Credit value is calculated as one (1) classroom hour per week = one (1) semester credit. No more than six (6) independent study credits may be used to meet graduation requirements.


Delayed Grades

Delayed grades may be given when a students work is of passing quality but is incomplete because of circumstances beyond the students control. Although delayed grades do not affect a graduate students grade point average, they are an important factor in evaluating academic progress. Delayed grades must be removed within one academic semester for undergraduate students or two academic semesters for graduate students after the time recorded or they automatically become F grades. In such cases, course instructors may subsequently change F grades to other grades on their progress in a sequential course and indicate that a grade will be assigned at the end of the sequence.

Please note:

  1. It is the students responsibility to request the delayed grade. Faculty may choose to deny the request.
  2. Incomplete grades in prerequisite courses must be removed before enrollment in course work for which the prerequisite is required.

Mathematics Requirement - Undergraduate

The math requirement is dependent on the semester you originally enrolled as a degree-seeking student at the University. This may not be the same semester you began your nursing courses. For example: you may have entered the University Fall Semester, 1995 as an undeclared student in the College of Arts & Sciences. In the Fall Semester, 1996 you made a division change and were accepted into Nursing. Your math requirement would be consistent with the requirements for Fall Semester, 1995.

Requirement Beginning Fall Semester 1998

Proficiency in the basic mathematical skills area will be demonstrated by obtaining either:

  1. A grade of C- or better in a college-level mathematics course having at least intermediate algebra as a prerequisite, or
  2. A 26 or above on the Missouri Math Placement Test. The test may be taken, at most, twice.

Please note: You must take the Placement/Proficiency test and fulfill the math requirement within your first year of enrollment at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. A sample of the test may be found at http://www.umsl.edu/services/css/testing_center/index.html. Dates and times of the test are in the current course schedule.

UMSL Math Placement Test
If you score below 16, you need to enroll in Math 0001 or 0002
New Prerequisites for Math 1020 and Math 1030

Math 1020
A score of 22 or higher on the ACT Math sub-test; or grade of C or better in a two or four year college intermediate algebra course; or a score of 16 or higher on the UMSL Math Placement Test, Obtained in the six month prior to enrollment in this course

Math 1030
A score of 22 or higher on the ACT Math sub-test; or grade of C or better in a two or four year college intermediate algebra course; or a score of 22 or higher on the UMSL Math Placement Test, Obtained in the six month prior to enrollment in this course

Residency Requirements

BSN students must be in residence for at least 24 of the last 30 hours of graded credit. (Exclusive of courses graded on Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis), except under unusual circumstances to be decided by the Dean.

MSN students must complete the final 2/3 of their curriculum at UMSL

Taking Courses at Another Institution

Students are required to meet with an advisor before registering for a course at another College/University while attending UM-St. Louis. The advisor will complete an approval form (see appendix) that lists the course and its UM-St. Louis equivalent.

Re-entry Admission for Undergraduate Students

  1. Students who do not attend UM-St. Louis continuously (i.e. miss one semester) must submit a request to re-enroll form (see appendix) to the Admissions Office. A 2.5 GPA is required for re-admission. If another college/university has been attended during the students absence from UM-St. Louis, current transcripts must be submitted. (Students who reenroll must meet the admission criteria required at the time of reenrollment.)
  1. If a student withdraws from college course work, he/she will enter into the nursing curriculum in effect at the time of re-entry. If there have been curriculum changes during his/her absence, the student will need to consider those changes in plans for graduation.
  1. Students must complete all clinical courses within a five year period. A student who has not taken a clinical course for four semesters must repeat the entire clinical sequence (Semester V through Semester VIII).
  1. If a student is deployed into the United States Armed Services while enrolled in clinical courses, spaces will be available in the same clinical courses when the student returns from military duty.

Re-entry Admission for Graduate Students

Students who do not attend UM-St. Louis for one academic year must submit a re-enrollment application to
to the Graduate Admissions Office.

Division Change

Any student, currently enrolled in the College of Nursing, who wishes to change his or her major must submit a Division Change Form (see appendix) to the appropriate College or School at UM-St. Louis. Likewise, any student who is a current UM-St. Louis student, but has not been accepted into Nursing and wishes to, must fill out a Division Change Form to be presented to the Office of Student Services at the College of Nursing.

Retention Services

Clinical nursing coursework is a unique academic experience. The College of Nursing wants to provide all students with the tools and support necessary to maintain academic performance expectations and remain in the program. Within the College of Nursing, retention services are provided by the Retention Coordinator. Services include information and guidance for students who are at risk for course failure or who are not achieving their full potential. Students who feel they are having difficulty with the academic challenges of the clinical nursing semesters are encouraged to seek the assistance of the Retention Coordinator as early in the semester as possible. Faculty refer students directly to the Retention Coordinator if they identify a student to be at risk for course failure. In addition to individual student appointments, multiple workshops throughout the semester provide students with information vital to successful academic performance. The Retention Coordinator works closely with the program directors, student services staff, and resources across the campus to provide academic support to all nursing students. Students may contact the the office of Student Services at (314) 516-6066 to schedule an appointment.