Academic Policies

College of Health and Human Sciences

Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Center for Advising and Student Success

Email any forms or questions to chhs-advising@fsu.edu so they may be received and processed in a timely manner.

For lower-division Health and Human Sciences students: While you are a lower division student (generally your first two years), your Academic Dean is the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. During this period, you must have approval from the Office of Undergraduate Studies (located in the University Center A3400, 850-644-2451) for any situation that requires the approval of your Academic Dean. Email: undergradstudies@fsu.edu.

For upper-division students in the College of Health and Human Sciences (CHHS): If you are an upper division student who must obtain Academic Dean’s signature/approval, please visit the Academic Affairs Office in 207 Sandels or email chhs-advising@fsu.edu. Examples include approval to drop a course after the seventh week of classes, permission to take an overload (more than 18 hours), permission to withdraw from the semester, etc.

If you wish to schedule more than 18 semester hours (an overload) during a fall or spring term or more than 15 hours during a summer term, you must obtain an overload permit and dean’s permission. Please visit the CHHS Academic Affairs office in 207 SAN or email chhs-advising@fsu.edu prior to registration.

Please Note: Overload approvals are NOT guaranteed. The office will review past performance and intended schedule before making a decision. You may not register for more than 21 semester hours under any circumstances. You do not need permission for an under load (less than 12 hours). However, it is your responsibility to check that sufficient hours have been scheduled for financial aid, scholarships, and insurance purposes.

It is your responsibility to check each semester’s Academic Calendar for deadlines. FSU and the College of Health and Human Sciences do enforce deadlines. Missed deadlines can have a serious effect on your academic career.

Students can typically expect to be formally admitted to their major after completion of their second year/Map Term 4. In order to be admitted to the upper division and certified into their academic college, students must complete a minimum of 52 credit hours. Students must also complete any major prerequisite coursework and meet any additional program requirements such as GPA or repeat policies. Many limited access majors, such as Dietetics and Athletic Training, require separate departmental applications. Please see your academic advisor for further details or questions.

You may drop a course during the first seven weeks of the semester without any special permission (deadlines for the shorter summer terms are adjusted accordingly) except for the following situations: You may not drop mandated college-preparatory courses, freshmen composition, and courses involved in allegations of academic dishonesty. If you are a lower division student, you must have permission from the Office of Undergraduate Studies (University Center A3400) to drop below 12 hours on your schedule.

To drop a course during the first seven weeks of the semester, you must drop the course online using the course drop tool:

1. Go to my.fsu.edu > Student Central > My Classes > Enrollment: Drop Classes. Select the correct semester.
2. When your schedule appears on the screen, you must click the red “Click here to Drop a class for a closed enrollment term” button or the system will generate an error message.
3. Follow the prompts to complete the process.

Note: You are financially liable for all courses that appear on your schedule at the end of the regular drop/add period. The dropped course is considered an attempt for purposes of the repeated course surcharge and will also be included as hours in the excess credit counter. If dropped in the first seven weeks, the course will not appear on your transcript. If you are a Bright Futures recipient, you will be required to pay back Bright Futures for any course dropped after the drop/add period. For more information about Bright Futures, click here. For more information about excess credit hours, click here.

You must have the permission of your Academic Dean’s Office for a late course drop after the 7th week. You are eligible for two late course drops during your first 60 semester hours and one late course drop after you have earned 60 semester hours. Note: If you do not use your two late course drops in your first 60 semester hours, they do NOT carry over.

To request a late course drop, upper division CHHS students must generate a drop form online.

1. Go to my.fsu.edu > Student Central > My Classes > Enrollment: Drop Classes. Select the correct semester.
2. When your schedule appears on the screen, you must click the red “Click here to Drop a class for a closed enrollment term” button or the system will generate an error message.
3. Follow the prompts to generate the drop form. Only the Dean signs the drop form.
4. Upper division students: Email chhs-advising@fsu.edu with your drop form, AND complete the CHHS Late Drop Request Form. Your drop will not be processed without BOTH forms. Lower division students: email your generated drop form to undergradstudies@fsu.edu.

Course drops after the 12th week of the semester are very rare. For more information and to discuss your specific situation, including petitioning to drop for extenuating circumstances, please see the Assistant Director of Academic & Student Services in 207 SAN.

Please note: Retroactive course drop petitions are considered only within one calendar year of course enrollment.

For upper division students, all course drops approved after the 7th week of the semester will count as one of the allowed late course drops except in the following circumstances:

1. Involuntary call to active military duty.
2. A course drop approved for medical or mental health reasons through the formal university process (request the appropriate forms in the CHHS Academic Affairs Office 207 SAN or via chhs-advising@fsu.edu).
3. A course drop approved due to a death in your immediate family (parent, spouse, child, sibling). CHHS will also consider the death of a maternal or paternal grandparent as a death in the immediate family. For a late course drop to be approved due to a death in your immediate family, you must submit a request for a Late Course Drop accompanied by either:

  • An obituary that includes the date of death, your name, and your relationship to the deceased; or
  • An obituary or death certificate indicating the date of death and a notarized letter from a parent confirming your relationship to the deceased.

4. A course drop approved by the College of Health and Human Sciences Academic Affairs Office for documented extenuating circumstances

All withdrawal petitions require that a student notify the CHHS Academic Affairs office of intent to withdraw and then to initiate the process through the Office of Withdrawal Services (University Center A4329, 850-644-1741). Additional questions beyond the information below should be emailed to the Academic Affairs office. Lower-division students (pre-/NFA- majors) must contact their dean’s office in the Office of Undergraduate Studies.

During the first seven weeks of the semester, you can withdraw from FSU (drop all your classes) without receiving grades. If you withdraw from FSU after the 7th week of the semester, you will receive grades in your courses. Grades of W (withdrew passing) or F (withdrew failing) will be assigned by your instructors depending on the quality of your work up to the time of your withdrawal. A “W” grade does not affect your FSU GPA. An “F” grade does affect your FSU GPA, the same as any “F” grade. Re-entry after a withdrawal is not automatic; please contact the Assistant Director in the Health and Human Sciences Academic Affairs Office (207 SAN). Withdrawals are considered only within one calendar year of course enrollment.

Students should initiate a College of Health and Human Sciences academic progress check by scheduling an appointment during the semester in which the student will complete 90 semester credit hours (this includes the hours earned PLUS your current enrollment). The CHHS academic progress check will indicate whether college and university requirements are completed (and, if not, what courses must yet be taken). It will also indicate what (if any) courses must be taken to complete requirements for the major or minor. NOTE: You are required to make an appointment with your advisor to complete your progress check. Schedule an Appointment for a Progress Check
At the same time, students must also request a progress check from the University Registrar’s Office. Both items will appear as registration holds on your account.

At the same time, students must also request a progress check from the University Registrar’s Office. Both items will appear as registration holds on your account.

You should apply for graduation online at my.fsu.edu during the first three weeks of the semester you expect to graduate. In Student Central, click the Academics tile > Graduation > Apply for Graduation. For specific dates and more information about graduation, you can visit the University Registrar’s website. After applying, your academic dean’s office will check your requirements and contact you via email with any questions. Degrees are conferred after confirmation of requirements and posted grades at the end of term.

You are responsible for completing the prerequisites or corequisites required for courses in which you enroll. Some departments will drop you from a course if you do not have the required prerequisite. However, failure to have completed appropriate prerequisites is not justification to request a course drop outside the normal procedures for course drops.

FSU has a mandatory first-day attendance policy for all classes. Non-attendance at the first class meeting will result in the class being dropped from your schedule. If you cannot attend the first class meeting of a course, you must contact the department offering the course prior to the first day of classes to retain your seat in the class. It is still your responsibility to verify that your course schedule is correct and that your fees are adjusted prior to the end of the drop/add period, which is the first 4 days of classes. Failure to do so will result in grade and fee liability. If you are a Bright Futures recipient, you will be required to pay back Bright Futures for any class remaining on your schedule after the 4th day of classes at midnight. Any class remaining on your schedule after the 4th day of classes, whether subsequently dropped or not, will be included in your excess credit counter. Click here for information on excess credit hours.

Duplicate credit will not be awarded for courses that are equivalent to courses previously passed, whether taken at another institution or FSU. (For example, CGS 1100 and CGS 2100 are considered the same course.) If you have questions about course duplication, please see an advisor.

An Incomplete (“I”) grade may be assigned by an instructor if you are passing a course, and you miss a portion of the course work (for example, an exam, a course project, or assignment, etc.) due to an excused absence that cannot be made up until after the semester is over. An “I” grade must be removed in a timely manner by completing that portion of the course work you missed. You must complete the work by the instructor’s deadline, but no later than the end of the next semester in which you are enrolled. You should not register for a course in which an “I” grade has been assigned; doing so results in the “I” grade being changed to an “IE” grade, which is calculated as an “F” in your FSU GPA.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grades: If you have concerns about an S/U grade for a course, please contact our office.

Students transferring to FSU with fewer than 60 hours are required by state law to complete a minimum of 9 hours of summer enrollment at a State of Florida Public University. Students with 80 or more hours who have not completed the requirement will be prompted to complete a Summer Hours Requirement Waiver through the To-Do List Feature within Student Central.

If you are a degree-seeking CHHS upper division student at FSU, you must not take any course at another institution without receiving permission from 1) your academic advisor and 2) the academic dean’s office in the College of Health and Human Sciences. To do so, you must complete a paper transient form if you will be requesting to take courses outside of the State of Florida. To take courses in the State of Florida, you may go to FloridaShines.org and submit an online form.
Courses must be taken at other 4-year, accredited institutions. If you have taken approved courses at another college/university, when the grades are posted you will need to send an official copy of the transcripts to the Registrar’s office.
Upper-Division students: please See FSU Residency Requirement.

Your final 30 semester hours must be completed in residence at Florida State University. Petitions for waivers of this requirement must document exceptional circumstances and must be submitted to the College of Health and Human Sciences Academic Affairs Office at chhs-advising@fsu.edu prior to enrolling in any courses at another institution.

All Human Development and Family Science students are required to complete a minor or area of concentration. Please see your HDFS advisor for assistance with choosing a minor. To complete your minor, you may choose any minor or certificate with a minimum of 12 credit hours from FSU’s approved list. You may consult the Undergraduate Bulletin for details for minor requirements for each department. No overlap will be permitted between minor courses and major, liberal studies, or language requirements.

1. Final examinations in undergraduate courses are discretionary within any given department. If a department chooses to give a final exam, the exam schedule must be followed as published.

2. All students, including graduating seniors and graduate students, enrolled in an undergraduate course having a final examination are required to take the examination.

3. The scheduling of a final examination at any time other than the regularly scheduled final examination period is prohibited by Faculty Senate policy. The final exam schedule is found in the Registration Guide

4. Unless an exam is given during the final examination period, no test may be given during the last week of classes.

Exceptions to the Examination Policy for an Individual Undergraduate Student: Approval by the academic dean of the college in which the course is taught is required for any change in examination time for an individual undergraduate student. The student must first receive written permission from the instructor if the instructor is willing to give a make-up examination at a specified time within the exam week. The student must then petition the dean of the unit which the course is taught, giving the reason for the requested exception, and including the instructor’s written permission. The dean will then notify the instructor in writing if approval is granted.

Make-up examinations are permitted for an undergraduate student when justified by illness, conflicting examination, three or more examination in a 24-hour period, or for certain emergencies. Arrangements must be made prior to the scheduled exam.
In case of conflicting examination, group examination takes precedence over examinations scheduled by class meeting time. In the case of conflicts that cannot otherwise be resolved, the course meeting earlier (by day and time) takes precedence over a course meeting later.

Exceptions to the Examination Policy for an Entire Undergraduate Class: Courses that utilize the Office of Distance Learning (ODL) Assessment and Testing Center for a block exam, of which are otherwise limited to specific days and times because of seating and scheduling constraints, will take precedence in the case of final exam schedule conflicts. It is the student’s responsibility to identify such conflicts as early as possible and to notify all instructors in advance so that accommodations may be made.