Academic Programs, Policies, and Regulations

Goals of the Liberal Arts Education

A fundamental goal of a liberal arts education is to encourage and to further individual self-development. Beyond this goal, the liberal arts college shares with other academic institutions an obligation to preserve, to transmit, and to advance the accumulated wisdom of civilizations. The scholarly tradition, in turn, provides the substance of what we can offer to further an individual's intellectual development. As a special kind of liberal arts college, one that stresses the value of close interpersonal relations, we strive to assist the student not only in enlarging his or her intellectual and aesthetic capacities, but in achieving a social and personal maturity as well. Two of the several purposes of higher education listed by the Carnegie Commission describe our situation very well:

Every aspect of the College should, of course, contribute to its basic goal. We are here concerned, however, primarily with the curriculum, the intellectual means by which we serve student self-development. Our Mission Statement identifies the goals of the academic program:

Washington College seeks to develop in its students the habits of analytic thought, aesthetic insight, imagination, ethical sensitivity, and clarity of expression. These qualities of the mind are the result of excellent teaching, of active inquiry, and of a wide range of experiences and social interactions in an intimate community of cultural, social, and political diversity. The College also strives to enrich the cultural and intellectual life of its regional community.

Each student explores a range of disciplines in the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences, and concentrates on a major academic program that culminates in a significant independent project. Unhurried conversation and personal associations complement instruction and study. Thus, the College affirms the importance of its residential tradition with its opportunities to engage in the arts and sciences, athletics, service, and social activities in the company of people of varied backgrounds, experience, and interests. The College also offers certification programs, graduate studies, and opportunities for lifelong learning.

Engaged in these activities, students develop the knowledge, skills, values, and commitments necessary for success in a world of rapid information expansion, increasing technological and cultural complexity, and shifting work patterns. The College thus endeavors to prepare its graduates for further education, productive careers, responsible citizenship, and personal fulfillment so that they may contribute to their communities, nations, and world.

The Curriculum

Within the general guidelines of the curriculum at Washington College, you will take major responsibility for shaping a program of study to broaden and deepen your intellectual development. During your years here, members of the faculty will work closely with you to design a program to help you meet your personal goals. Close interpersonal relations are highly valued at Washington College, and the faculty and staff will assist you not only in making the most of your intellectual and aesthetic capacities, but also in achieving personal and social maturity as well.

Other aims of the curriculum may be grouped into four broad classes:

A liberal arts education is only secondarily and indirectly vocational. The primary purpose of a liberal arts education is to foster the process of self-development which finds an ideally encouraging environment in a small, residential college such as Washington College. Students should expect to play an active role as partners in an intellectual dialogue with instructors and fellow students. While the curriculum provides guidance and ensures coherence in the educational process, students should find sufficient flexibility to permit the growth and development of specific needs and interests. In short, sound structure and necessary flexibility are the foundations of the course of study at Washington College.

Academic Policy

Academic policy is formulated by the faculty, who determine the requirements for admission, promotion, and graduation; the organization of the curriculum; and the provisions covering probation and dismissal. Administrators interpret and apply the rules so as to carry out the intentions of the faculty, subject to the policies established by the Board of Visitors and Governors. Students play an important role in determining these policies. They serve as voting members on both the Curriculum Committee and Committee on Academic Standing and Advising, where major academic policies are formulated, subject to faculty approval.

The primary objective of the College's academic policy is to support the direct relationship between student and instructor. The instructor's judgment is final, and his/her records are authoritative in all matters of course requirements, grades, and class attendance. The College does not normally accept appeals of instructors' decisions in these matters. Any questions should be directed first to the instructor, then to the Department Chair, and, as a final resort, to the Dean of the College.

The Advising System

Goals of the Academic Advising Program

The faculty has approved a system for academic advising and has articulated the following aims and goals of effective academic counseling:

  1. To enable students to take responsibility for designing their programs of study.
  2. To encourage and assist the student to explore and articulate interests or career goals.
  3. To encourage the student to take a "reasoned, contemplative approach" to the problem of designing a program of study.
  4. To assist the student in designing a program within the liberal arts framework that is clearly related to interests or career goals.
  5. To ensure that the student has been fully informed about all available options and has been encouraged to examine all options, and that the course of study is designed to meet the student's individual goals.
  6. To provide advisers who are willing not merely to monitor the student's academic program but also to speak personally with the student and explore his or her changing interests and goals.
  7. To ensure that advisers have current and detailed information about course offerings and are aware of the variety of options offered to students.

The Faculty Adviser

Each student is assigned to a faculty adviser who has been chosen especially for this task and who works with his or her advisee until the advisee declares a major, or until the end of the sophomore year. Juniors and seniors are assigned either to their major Department Chairs or to other members of the Department, if the Chair determines such an assignment appropriate. Students should be particularly careful when arranging their academic programs, for they must comply with all graduation requirements and fulfill specific prerequisites.

Faculty advisers are not infallible, and students must remember that the final responsibility for meeting all of the academic requirements rests with the individual student.

Both advisers and students have a responsibility in advising. It is essential that both take the matter seriously if students are to achieve a meaningful and successful program of study. In the dialogue between advisers and students, advisers serve in two capacities: to interpret the College and its goals for students, and to encourage students to gain understanding of their potential and how it may be developed. In a very practical way, advisers are sources of information for students, explaining campus rules and customs, giving clarification about special programs and requirements, and more.

When students have questions or problems, they should feel free to see the adviser. Although the College schedules advising sessions each year, the real benefits of such an advising system can be realized only through more frequent meetings between student and adviser. It is hoped that good working relationships will develop. However, students and their advisers do not always relate well, and the student is free to meet with the Associate Provost for Academic Services to request a change of adviser. Among the faculty, students will find friends as well as advisers, and they are urged to foster such friendships. Herein lies the great value of the small, liberal arts college and the education it provides. The benefits of personal attention and assistance under the advising system of Washington College derive from close association among students, faculty, and administrative officers, an association rarely possible at large colleges or universities.

The academic advising system is under general direction of the Office of the Provost and Dean of the College. The Associate Provost, the Registrar, the faculty adviser, and the instructors are also at hand to help with advising.

The Academic Program

The four-course plan at Washington College involves eight semesters of study with four courses generally taken every semester. A total of 128 credit hours is required for graduation.

Decisions to take coursework beyond the required 128 credits will be made at the student-adviser level. Students may take up to five years to complete their coursework, subject to the usual requirements for acceptable academic progress.

The intent of this plan is to provide for a more thorough and enriched study of the material of each course than is possible in a system of three-credit courses. When this plan was first introduced, it was envisioned that each course would require a student to do approximately ten to twelve hours of work per week. Since the usual number of class hours was not increased, a major portion of work for a course should take place outside of the classroom. Such outside work places a strong emphasis on activities such as independent research, additional reading and writing, laboratory work, and creative work. This requires the student to take a more active role in his or her education.

While the nature of any particular course is a matter to be determined by its instructor, that instructor has the responsibility for defining the nature of work to be done outside of the classroom and for demanding that it be successfully completed. Satisfactory grades are given only to students who demonstrate a mastery of the material as intended.

An Overview of the Academic Requirements

There are three kinds of requirements at Washington College: Graduation Requirements, General Education Requirements, and Major Requirements. Graduation Requirements ensure that all graduates of Washington College take an equivalent number of courses and fulfill certain common general education obligations. General Education Requirements ensure that students get a balanced introduction to a variety of liberal arts and sciences. Major Requirements ensure that students concentrate sufficiently in at least one liberal art or science to become proficient in that area. In sum, Graduation Requirements are for uniformity, Major Requirements are for concentration, and General Education Requirements are for variety.

Graduation Policies

Graduation Requirements

Washington College awards the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. A candidate must complete at least 128 credit hours, of which a minimum of 56 hours must be taken at Washington College or in a Washington College-administered program. Students must satisfy the general education requirements which include completion of two Community, Nation, and World seminars, the Writing Obligation, and distribution courses. Students must also complete a major, which includes a minimum of eight courses in the major and fulfillment of a senior project known as the Senior Capstone Experience (a comprehensive examination, thesis, research project, or the like as specified by the major department).

Students must attain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 and a cumulative grade point average of in the major. No more than a total of six D's and no more than two D's in the major can be counted for graduation. A student's last eight courses must also be taken at Washington College or in a Washington College-administered program. Only students who have completed all graduation requirements are eligible to participate in commencement. Students who complete their graduation requirements prior to the first day of fall classes will receive diplomas dated the previous academic year and have the option of participating in the next commencement.

Graduation Checklist for Seniors

For further explanation of the following items, consult the appropriate sections of this handbook.

  1. Coursework: Completed 128 credit hours. A student must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 and at least in the major. No more than six D's total, or two D's in the major may be counted toward graduation.
  2. General Education Requirements: Completed courses from the "Community, Nation, and World" and the distribution requirements.
  3. Writing Requirement: Received passing grades in two recognized writing-intensive courses (indicated as such by an asterisk in the course schedule).
  4. Major Course Requirements: Completed all major requirements as described in the Advising Guide. Students who have questions about major requirements should consult the Chair of their departments.
  5. The Senior Capstone Experience: Comprehensive Exam, Thesis, or Project
    • For those majors which require or allow the comprehensive exam:
      1. Fulfilled all departmental requirements (methodology courses, review sessions, etc.) designed to prepare students for the exams.
      2. Passed the comprehensive exam.
    • For those majors which require or allow a Senior Thesis or Project:
      1. Selected paper or project topic no later than the fourth week of classes of the first semester of senior year.
      2. Submitted outline (if required).
      3. Submitted rough draft of thesis or project by the deadline established by the department.
      4. Submitted final draft of thesis no later than the last day of classes of the semester in which the student is graduating.

Because each department establishes its own deadline for submission of #and #3 above, students should refer to their department's established guidelines or consult with the chairs of the departments.

Application for Graduation

Normally in the spring of the student's junior year, the Registrar will provide the student with a graduation audit showing the major and distribution courses presented to meet requirements and also indicating any deficiencies to be made up before graduation. Seniors who expect to graduate at the end of the year should apply to the Registrar's Office no later than the end of September of their senior year.

General Education Requirements

To ensure a broad foundation in the liberal arts and sciences, all students entering as freshmen are required to take the following General Education requirements: two semester- long seminars in the first year relating to the theme of Community, Nation, and World (CNW), and the other distribution courses from the categories listed below. Students entering Washington College with Advanced Placement credit may apply that credit toward Distribution courses up to a total of 32 credit hours; however, this credit does not exempt students from CNW seminars.

Requirements for First-Year and Transfer Students

First-year students and transfer students with fewer than 16 transferable credits:

Transfer students with 16–31 transferable credits:

Transfer students with 32 or more transferable credits:

CNW Seminars

All first-year students must be enrolled in a CNW seminar each semester. While students may change from one seminar to another, they are not permitted to withdraw from a CNW course unless a number of specific criteria have been met (see below).

In Community seminars, first-year students are introduced to the political, social, artistic, economic, and environmental communities that exist in the Chesapeake region. In Nation seminars, students explore a topic or issue of significance to the American community.

Freshmen select either a Community or Nation seminar in the fall semester and enroll in a World seminar in the spring. In World seminars, students explore diverse traditions and cultures from around the world.

CNW seminars include competency components in writing, research methodology, and the use of the computer as both a writing and information-gathering tool. All students enrolled in Community, Nation, and World courses complete a writing consultation component of these courses through two meetings each semester with Writing Center instructors.

Students may withdraw from a CNW course only if all of the following three conditions are met: 1) The instructor of the course agrees that the student made a strong effort to succeed in the course. 2) The student, in spite of these efforts, is in danger of failing the course. 3) The adviser and instructor agree that it is in the best academic interest of the student to withdraw from the course. Students who withdraw from a CNW course must enroll in an appropriate CNW seminar in the next possible semester. Withdrawals from CNW courses need to follow the College's course withdrawal procedure.

Writing Requirements

The Consultation Component of CNW

All students enrolled in Community, Nation, and World courses must complete the Consultation Component of these courses, requiring two meetings each semester with Writing Center instructors. Any student who does not fulfill this requirement during the semester in which he or she is enrolled in the course will receive an F for the course.

Students who fail a Community-Nation course must retake a Community-Nation course in the following year and receive a passing grade. Students who fail a World course must retake a World course in the following year and receive a passing grade.

In addition to fulfilling their writing requirements in the CNW seminars, students at Washington College must successfully complete two writing-intensive courses. At least one of these courses must be completed in the sophomore year. A student shall not register for second-semester courses in the sophomore year unless he or she has either already successfully completed or is currently registering for one writing intensive course. Likewise, a student shall not register for second-semester courses in the junior year unless he or she has either already successfully completed or is currently registering for the second writing-intensive course. A student not taking on-campus courses during the relevant semesters shall meet these requirements in the first subsequent on-campus semester, unless he or she can show that a course taken at an off-campus location meets the guidelines of writing-intensive courses. Writing-intensive courses taken during the first year do not satisfy the Writing Obligation.

Writing-intensive courses are noted in the course schedule by an asterisk. Such courses will incorporate frequent and regular writing experiences and will make provisions for appropriate review and revision exercises. Faculty members offering writing-intensive courses will explain on their syllabi the relevant course expectations and activities. Writing-intensive courses may involve specified interactions with the Writing Center.

Students complete their Writing Obligation by receiving passing grades in two writing-intensive courses.

Alternatives to General Education Requirements

Students who wish to plan their general education outside of the normal guidelines may write a proposal to this effect and submit it to their adviser as a basis for discussion of the feasibility of the plan. After consultation with the adviser, the student should send the proposal to the Committee on Academic Standing and Advising for final judgment. Approval of such proposals depends on convincing demonstration that the desired scheme provides an alternate way of adequately meeting the broad aims of the distribution requirement. Proposals must make provisions for meeting such specific goals as the following: promotion of cultural breadth, introduction to empirical investigation, provision of some basis for aesthetic appreciation or creativity, acquaintance with the nature of language (natural or symbolic), and opportunity to view complex phenomena.

The Major

General Information About the Major

The role of concentration, counterbalancing that of the distribution requirement, is most fundamentally to prepare students for discipline mastery. Detailed knowledge of the facts and terminology of a discipline, development of skill in the use of techniques essential to a discipline, sufficient mastery of the structure and methods of scholarly investigation to engage in independent study in a discipline—such are the objectives of the major in a liberal arts curriculum.

Normally, students will declare a major in the semester after completing 40 credits. Prior to that semester's advising days, students will receive information about declaring a major. After discussing their decision about their major with their current advisers, students take Declaration of Major cards to the Chairs of their major departments for signature and then return the cards to the Registrar.

Departments may, but are not required to, permit students to declare a major provided they have completed at least 16 credit hours and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0. Transfer and Advanced Placement credit cannot be counted toward the 16-credit requirement. Students wishing to declare a major early should obtain Declaration of Major cards from the Registrar, discuss the decision with their current advisers, and make an appointment to meet with the Chair of the major department to discuss the decision and obtain the appropriate signature. The Chair or a member of the major department becomes the student's adviser for the junior and senior years. All majors include a minimum of eight semester courses taken under departmental supervision. Specified extra-departmental courses in related fields may be included in a major program by special permission of the department.

A full listing of departmental recommendations is found in the section of the Advising Guide entitled "Major Requirements and Recommendations." Additionally, student and adviser should consult the current Catalog and, if questions remain, ask the Department Chair.

Policies for Construction of Special Majors

Students who wish to pursue a course of major study other than one of those regularly provided may submit a proposal to this effect in their pre-major advising session. After consultation with the adviser, the student sends the proposal to the Dean of the College, who forms a committee of faculty members from appropriate disciplines to supervise the major. One member of the committee is designated major adviser; the entire committee assists in the selection of a senior project and passes on the completed work. The major program agreed on by the student and the committee will be submitted for final approval to the Dean.

Senior Capstone Experience

Required of all graduating seniors, the Senior Capstone Experience is intended to demonstrate the student's ability to think critically and to engage in a project of active learning within the student's major field of studies. The experience will integrate acquired knowledge and skills in a senior project designed to produce upon its successful completion a sense of mastery and intellectual accomplishment that goes significantly beyond classroom learning.

Senior Capstone Experiences can take several forms. They might involve research papers, comprehensive exams, professional portfolios, and artistic creations or performances.

Whatever the design, Senior Capstone Experiences will be informed by the following expectations:

Faculty will mentor students intensively as they work on the completion of their Senior Capstone Experiences. As part of the process, students are expected to share with the College community in appropriate ways the results of their Senior Capstone Experience. The Curriculum Committee will review at regular intervals departmental policies regarding the Senior Capstone Experience to ensure compliance with the expectations listed above and overall equality of demands across departments.

The following policies will govern the administration of the Senior Capstone Experience:

  1. Upon successful completion of his/her Senior Capstone Experience, a student will receive four credits.
  2. The four credits gained through the successful completion of the Senior Capstone Experience will be part of a student's required graduation credit count of 128. At the same time, the four credits of the Senior Capstone Experience will have a special status because they cannot be replaced by credits gained through course work.
  3. With departmental approval, students who double major may complete an integrated capstone experience. When such integration is not advisable, double majors will need to complete independent Senior Capstone Experiences for each major. Double majors cannot gain more than four credits in fulfillment of their Senior Capstone Experience.
  4. Departments will determine whether they will assign a letter grade or designate Senior Capstone Experiences in their department with honors, pass, or fail. Senior Capstone Experiences receiving a grade of A- or above qualify for honors.

Departmental Honors

Departmental Honors are determined by the quality of work done both in major courses and in the Senior Capstone Experience. The minimum requirements are Dean's List average in coursework and honors level work in the Senior Capstone Experience. Departmental Honors are noted on the student's permanent record and on the commencement program.