Academic Policies

Undergraduate Overview

Core Values

Commitment to the Pursuit of Knowledge and Understanding
Development of the Individual
Personal and Professional Integrity
Commitment to Serve
Commitment to Develop a Sense of Community, Respect for Diversity, and Global Perspective

Student Honor Code

UW-Whitewater's College of Business and Economics students are expected to subscribe to the College's Student Honor Code:

As members of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics community, we commit ourselves to act ethically in all aspects of our academic lives. As students, we promise that our work demonstrates the highest integrity. We will not misrepresent our work, nor plagiarize, nor use unauthorized aid to gain a higher academic standing. As we participate in our academic setting, we commit to promoting diversity and professionalism in our classrooms. We encourage participation from all members of our community, showing respect for others' personal dignity, rights and freedoms. We will value the academic property that is Hyland Hall as well as the property of individuals throughout the UW-Whitewater campus. We choose to endorse this set of values, thereby accepting responsibility for acting by these principles. Adopted by the Dean's Advisory Council Spring 2015.

Faculty Ethics Statement

The UW-Whitewater College of Business and Economics subscribes to the Statement on Professional Ethics developed by the American Association of University Professors.

View this ethics statement.

Course Repeat Policy

Undergraduate Students

The privilege of repeating coursework allows students to retake courses in which they initially encountered difficulties. A course can only be repeated once. Students may not take the same course for credit and grade replacement more than once unless the course is identified in the Undergraduate Catalog as "Repeatable." If a course is identified in the Catalog as repeatable, the limitations on the number of times or the maximum number of credits may be applied to the major/minor, degree or graduation credits will be indicated. UW-Whitewater does not guarantee the right to repeat any course. Courses may be deactivated, discontinued, or offered on a different schedule.

Repeating Courses for Grade and Credit Replacement

A course in which a grade of C- or below (C-, D+, D, D-, F or NC) was originally earned may be repeated once for grade and earned credit replacement. The grade and credits earned for the repeated course will replace those earned in the initial attempt when calculating grade point average and credits toward the degree. For example, if a student repeats a course in which a grade of D was earned and receives a B in the repeat, only the B and the credits earned in the repeat will be included in the GPA and credits to the degree; if the student receives an F, only the F will be included in the GPA and the student loses the credits for the course. Students may not repeat for credit or grade replacement any course in which they earned a grade of C or higher, or S (see REPEAT FOR NO CREDIT explanation below). The following conditions apply to repeats for grade and earned credit replacement:

Unless the repeat courses are offered S/NC only, all repeats must be taken on a conventional grade basis.
Courses taken initially at UW-Whitewater may be repeated only at UW-Whitewater. They may not be taken at another institution to replace the UW-Whitewater grade and credit.
Students may repeat a C- grade or below that was earned at a transfer institution if the course has a direct UW-Whitewater equivalent and the course was attempted only once prior to transfer to UW-Whitewater. Students who repeat a transfer course will receive UW-Whitewater course credits regardless of the number of credits the course carried at the transfer institution; for example, a student repeating a 4-credit transfer course with a 3-credit UW-Whitewater course will receive only the 3 UW-Whitewater credits. All other repeat regulations apply.
A student may not repeat a course if the student has received credit for a higher level course in the same department for which the course to be repeated is a prerequisite or corequisite. For example, a student who has received credit for English 102 may not repeat English 101.
In courses in which there has been a change in the number of credits awarded, a repeat for grade replacement will replace the credits and grade from the first attempt with the credits and grade for the repeat. For example, in a course that had changed from 5 credits to 4 credits, a 5-credit D would be replaced by a 4-credit B.
If a student officially drops or withdraws from a repeat course, the original enrollment attempt's grade and earned credits will be reinstated or remain in the student's term and cumulative calculations.

All attempts of repeated courses, including the grades, remain on academic records and transcripts even though they may not be included in the GPA calculation or earned credits. Students should be aware that graduate schools and other institutions to which they might wish to transfer may not accept repeats and may include all grades in calculating GPA for admission. Student athletes, veterans and international students should check with the appropriate UW-W school officials before repeating courses as it may affect their eligibility or financial benefits.

Appeal for Third Attempt of a Course

Students who wish to enroll in a third attempt of a course must file an approved university appeal. Contact the Registrar's Office at (262) 472-1570, registrar@uww.edu or in Roseman 2032 for information about the appeal process.

Repeat for No Credit

Under certain circumstances, students may need to repeat courses in which a C grade or above was earned. For example, a student may need to repeat a course if a grade of B is required for the student to proceed to a higher level course or to remain in a major. In such cases, repeat grades will be considered only as qualifying students to continue, and the repeats will not be counted for grade replacement or earned credit. All enrollment attempts will be recorded on academic records and transcripts, with the non-credit attempts identified as No Credit.

Graduate Students

Graduate students are allowed to repeat at most two courses in their degree programs. Courses may be repeated only once. When a course is repeated, the original course and grade remain on the transcript; however, the last grade and units earned replace the original and are the only ones used in computing the overall grade point average and the grade point average in the major or emphasis. Students who have been dropped from a degree program may not use the course repeat process to gain readmission into that degree program.

A course taken for undergraduate credit may not later be changed to graduate credit. Courses taken for undergraduate credit may not be taken for graduate credit, although exceptions may be granted by the degree program coordinator when the field of knowledge has changed to the degree that the course content has changed substantially from the first time the student took the course to the present. Graduate courses may not be retaken unless indicated otherwise in the Graduate Catalog.

Eligibility for Business Course Enrollment

Lower Division (200-Level) Eligibility:
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration degree major must achieve 24 credits and maintain a 2.50 GPA or better to take lower division business courses except ITBE 141, BEINDP 293, ECON 201, ECON 202 and courses from the Department of Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health. Grades received for all appropriate college courses taken at other institutions will be included in determining the student's grade point average eligibility for enrolling in business courses.

Business minors and non-business minors required to take business courses must have at least a 2.00 GPA and 24 credits completed to enroll in lower division (200-level) business courses required in the minor. Non-business majors who are required to or elect to take business courses in the major, must have the GPA required in the major and must have completed 24 credits to take lower division (200-level) business courses.

Upper Division (300/400-Level) Eligibility:
Students in the BBA curriculum are not eligible to enroll in the College of Business and Economics 300- and 400-level courses (except courses from the Department of Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health) unless they have 60.0 or more credits to degree, at least a 2.50 cumulative GPA, and have been admitted to the upper division business courses. Transfer grades are included in the computation of the combined GPA (transfer and UW-Whitewater) of 2.50 for continued eligibility. Business minors must have a 2.00 GPA and 60 credits completed to enroll in upper division (300 or 400-level) business courses. In order to graduate with a business minor, the student must have a 2.25 GPA in the minor. S/NC grading may not be used in any business course or any BBA degree requirement unless offered on an S/NC basis only. Courses in the College of Business and Economics may not be taken on an audit basis. A course cannot be used to satisfy both a BBA degree and a major requirement. Non-business majors who are required to or elect to take 300/400-level business courses must have completed 60 credits and have a 2.00 GPA to take upper division (300 and 400-level) business courses. Non-business majors who are not required to take business courses in the major may register for business courses during the first week of classes if all course prerequisites and credits completed are met (24 for lower division or 60 for upper division), and the student has a 2.50 combined GPA.

Admission to Upper Division Business Courses:
When a student is projected to complete at least 54 credits and has satisfactorily completed or is enrolled in ENGLISH 101, ENGLISH 102, COMM 110, ACCOUNT 244, ACCOUNT 249 or ACCOUNT 261; ECON 201; ECON 202; MATH 143; ITSCM 280; and ECON 245, the student may apply for admission to the upper division business courses. All students with at least a 2.80 combined GPA will be admitted. Application forms for admission to the upper division business courses are completed online after completion of an online advising exercise.

Enrollment preference in all business courses will be given to the following officially declared majors and minors:

All BBA Majors; integrated science and business; business education; other non-business majors with business course requirements

Minors; business minors; arts management minors; other minors with business course requirements.

Students admitted with full/complete credentials of all previous post-secondary work (SPFC) and special students without full credentials (SPNC) can register on a space available basis with the approval of the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Business Programs (Hyland Hall 1200, 262-472-4900).

Common Examinations:
Certain courses have common exams during the semester when all sections will be tested at the same time. Students should not schedule other classes at those times.

Graduate Students:
Graduate students must be admitted to the M.B.A., M.P.A., MS Applied Economics, or MS Safety program to enroll in 500-700 level courses offered in the College of Business and Economics (except School Business Management). Graduate students must be admitted to the D.B.A. program to enroll in 800 level courses. Non-Candidate for Degree (NCFD) students cannot register for College of Business and Economics courses. Exceptions to this policy must be approved in advance by the associate dean, College of Business and Economics (262-472-1945).

Online Business Courses:
Charges for online business courses are stated with the course listings. The charge is the same for both in-state and out-of-state students.

GPA Guidelines

Business majors are required to have a combined cumulative grade point average of 2.50 to take lower division courses (ACCOUNT 244, ACCOUNT 249, BEINDP 288, BEINDP 290, ECON 245, & ITSCM 280)

"Combined cumulative grade point average" refers to the fact that the College of Business and Economics uses transfer grades in combination with Whitewater grades to determine eligibility for courses and graduation.

After admission to the College of Business and Economics, you must maintain at least a 2.50 combined cumulative GPA to take business courses, and you must have a 2.50 combined cumulative GPA in three areas in order to graduate. You need a 2.50 (1) in your overall coursework; (2) in all business courses; and (3) in courses in your major.

Not sure how to calculate your GPA?

Transfer Guidelines

Transferring to UW-Whitewater
All College of Business and Economics grade point average requirements refer to a "combined cumulative" GPA. This GPA computation includes your transfer credits and grades along with your UW-Whitewater credits and grades. This policy means that your transfer record contributes to determining whether you're eligible for lower division freshman- and sophomore-level business courses (2.50 requirement), admission to the college junior- and senior-level courses (2.80 requirement), and for graduation (2.50 requirement).

Your university degree requirements core courses may have been personalized based on the number of credits you transferred. Be sure to register for only the core courses required for you.

Regardless of the number of core courses you are required to take, you must meet the university (general education) requirements minimum of 32 units/credits and take the minimum in each area of university (general education) requirements. The school you attended previously may have offered courses in a sequence that differs from the UW-Whitewater offerings. The most common examples of this discrepancy are in mathematics and economics. At UW-Whitewater, you will be required to complete finite mathematics unless you transfer in 8 or more credits of calculus. UW-Whitewater also requires courses in both macroeconomics and microeconomics. If you completed microeconomics, you will still need to take macroeconomics, and vice versa.

If you have questions regarding how courses will transfer, contact our Admissions Office at 262-472-1440. If you've received your evaluation of transfer credits and still have questions whether a course you've taken might be substituted for a course required in your program, contact the Assistant Dean at 262-472-4900 to set up an appointment. We will need a course syllabus and/or description for the course you completed at your transfer school.

If you transfer a D or F and UW-Whitewater has an equivalent course, you may be able to repeat the course here and have the new grade replace the D or F in your combined cumulative GPA.

UW-Whitewater Students Transferring to Another Institution
If you are considering transferring from UW-Whitewater to another institution, you need to contact the other institution to find out whether/how courses will transfer, the admission requirements and deadlines, etc. To request that a transcript be sent to the other institution, contact the Registrar's Office at 262-472-1213.

UW-Whitewater Students Taking Transfer Credits for a Summer or Semester
If you are thinking of taking course(s) at a UW-System school (UW-Parkside, UW-Madison, etc.) or a school within the state technical system, you can get transfer information about course equivalencies.

If you're considering transferring credits from an institution outside the UW System, contact the Admissions Office at 262-472-1440 to find out how/whether the credits will transfer.

Remember that for College of Business and Economics purposes, the GPA you earn on transfer credits will be combined with your UW-Whitewater GPA.