Instructional Information

The academic year is divided into two semesters of sixteen weeks each. Mid-term exams are administered each term to track student progress. Students not performing satisfactorily should schedule a conference with the assigned Academic Advisor/Retention Specialist. This step aids students in improving their performance. Final examinations are administered at the end of each semester.

Each of the fall and spring semesters is divided into two intensive terms. These classes meet twice the usual time each week.

Change in Class Schedule

Students may add or drop courses, as approved by an advisor/counselor, only during the official “drop-add” period. A fee of $10.00 is automatically assessed for each “add” and for each “drop” in a completed schedule after late registration and during the term’s drop/add period.

ADD-DROP

The add-drop period is defined by term in the academic calendar in which a student may add or drop a class. A student can only add-drop a course with advisor approval. A fee of $10.00 is automatically assessed for each dropped course during the term’s add-drop period.

Students who have registered for EMCC classes and determine they will not be able to attend school that semester before classes start should contact their advisor or send an email to advising@eastms.edu requesting their classes to be removed. Students who do this before classes begin will not be charged for the classes; however, if the student is no-showed the student will be responsible for the fees involved with the courses.

NO SHOW POLICY

A student who fails to attend a particular class within the term’s late registration period or Add-Drop period shall be listed as a “No Show.” A student who is “no showed” will be permanently removed from the course and cannot be reinstated. Students who become “no-showed” from classes will be billed $10.00 per class. The “No Show” policy is not subject to the rules related to class attendance. Students are strongly encouraged to withdraw from any class in which they have no plans to attend.

Class Attendance

All students are expected to attend class. If circumstances require an absence, then students should note that all absences are either excused or unexcused. Excused absences are those incurred when students miss class due to personal illness, immediate family illness, death in family, inclement weather, officially representing the college, serving on jury duty, participating in military activities, or fulfilling approved legal requirements. Other circumstances may be excused at the faculty and/or dean discretion.  All excused absences are subject to verification and students should submit proper documentation. Up to 20% of classroom work may be made up within a reasonable period for excused absences. Absences for reasons other than those defined above or approved by faculty or dean shall be considered unexcused.

Students who enter a class meeting late during the first 10 minutes will be counted as tardy. Three tardies constitute an unexcused absence. Students who enter a class meeting later than 10 minutes will be assigned an unexcused absence. Likewise, students who leave a class meeting early without the approval of the instructor will be assigned an unexcused absence. A student will be administratively withdrawn with the instructor notifying the appropriate office when the total number of unexcused absences per week exceeds that shown in the chart. 

A student who is administratively withdrawn due to excessive unexcused absences prior to the posted withdrawal date on the academic calendar will be assigned a grade of “W.” A student who wishes to appeal an administrative withdrawal due to excessive unexcused absences must do so in writing to the appropriate dean within one week of the withdrawal date.

Some career and technical, nursing, and health science programs must adhere to strict attendance standards required by the State of Mississippi for certification. Additionally, some career and technical, nursing, and health sciences programs adhere to a uniform policy. For these attendance policies, please see the program or departmental handbooks or syllabi.

Programs With Special Attendance Policies

Cosmetology Attendance Policy

In the Cosmetology program, students are required to have a minimum of 1,500 clock hours of attendance in order to take the Mississippi licensure examination. Due to this requirement, please see the program/departmental handbook for additional information.

Emergency Medical Services Attendance Policy

In the Emergency Medical Services program, EMT Basic, students are required to meet the clock hours as deemed by the curriculum in order to take the National Registry examination. Due to this requirement, please see the program/departmental handbook for additional information.

Practical Nursing Attendance Policy

In the Practical Nursing program, students are required to meet the required clock hours as deemed by the state curriculum in order to take the Mississippi licensure examination. Due to this requirement, please see the program/departmental handbook.

Associate Degree Nursing Attendance Policy

In the Associate Degree Nursing program, students are required to meet the clock hours as deemed by the curriculum in order to take the Mississippi licensure examination. Due to this requirement, please see the program/departmental handbook for additional information.

Surgical Technology Attendance Policy

In the Surgical Technology program, students are required to meet the required clock hours as deemed by the state curriculum in order to take the Mississippi Licensure examination. Due to this requirement, please see the program/departmental handbook for additional information.

Classroom Complaints

Any student who wishes to make a complaint regarding any aspect of instruction should take the following steps:

1. Discuss the problem with the faculty member, staff member or administrator involved. Direct communication between the parties usually resolves most conflicts.
2. If informal efforts to resolve the problem are not productive, the complainant should then contact the appropriate administrator to assist in resolving the issue.
3. If the complainant wishes to file a formal complaint, she/he should express the specific nature of the complaint in writing to the appropriate administrator. The administrator will refer it to the proper authority at the College for disposition; the College grievance policy will be followed in all cases in which a formal complaint has been lodged.

Class Load

The average student’s class load is 15 to 18 semester hours. Twelve hours is necessary to be a full-time student at East Mississippi Community College. Students who wish to enroll in more than 19 hours or take courses through other institutions for transfer credit to EMCC must petition the appropriate instructional dean in advance. Credits taken at other institutions without prior written approval will not be accepted for EMCC credit. Certain types of institutional financial aid require a minimum of 15 credit hours per semester to maintain eligibility. It is highly recommended that students take a minimum of 15 semester hours of non-developmental coursework each semester to stay on track to meet graduation requirements at the end of four semesters.

Continuing Education Units

Non-credit activities organized to provide unified and systematic instruction, measured in duration, subject to performance evaluation of the participant and meeting categorical requirements will be measured in continuing education units (CEU). One CEU is defined as “ten contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education adult or extension experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction and qualified instruction.” The CEU will serve as a unit of measure to give recognition for an individual’s participation in non-credit activities which meet appropriate criteria and will serve as an accounting unit for the institution’s non-credit courses. CEUs are maintained through the Office of Workforce Services.

Forgiveness Policy

A student may formally request forgiveness for all coursework grades earned during one semester. The student may not choose which course grades are to be forgiven. If a formal request for forgiveness is submitted for a given semester and approved, all course grades for said semester will be forgiven and changed to “W” grades, and the forgiven credit hours will not be calculated in any GPA calculations.

A student may not be approved for forgiveness more than one time. The forgiveness request form can be obtained from an advisor in the Advising Center, Instructional Dean’s office, or the Registrar’s office. Once the form is completed, the form must be sent to the Vice-President of Instruction. Please note all Financial Aid decisions at EMCC will be made using a cumulative GPA based on all hours attempted (including hours forgiven). If a forgiveness request is approved, the student is still required to pay all charges incurred for the semester; account charges are not forgiven. Forgiveness cannot be requested for a semester in progress.

Grading System

Grades are based upon proficiency attained by the student, demonstrated primarily by the quality of work done in the classroom. Letter grades used and their meaning are as follows:

Some Career/Technical programs have higher grading scales as deemed necessary by their curriculum.

Course Audit must be approved at the time that the student registers for the course. All costs/fees associated with audited courses, remain the same as traditional graded courses.

Quality Points

Quality points are assigned for grades earned according to the following schedule:

Grade Challenges

Any challenge of a final grade must be initiated by the mid-semester of the next term after the grade was recorded. For purposes of this procedure, the summer is considered a usual term.

Students may repeat courses at East Mississippi Community College to improve their GPAs. All grades earned in attempted courses will appear on the student transcript. However, only the best grade earned in a course will be the official grade used for calculating an overall GPA. This policy does not affect Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as calculated by the Financial Aid Office at EMCC. Likewise, students should be aware that senior institutions may have differing policies on repeat courses and the calculation of a student’s transfer GPA.

A student may not register for any course(s) more than once per term without the approval of the Vice President for Instruction. That is, a student may not simultaneously register for the same class two or more times in a single term.

Graduation Requirements

Students who are nearing completion of their major/program, should seek counsel from their advisor to have an evaluation of their coursework completed. If it is determined the student is on track to graduate within the spring, fall, or summer semester, the student is encouraged to apply for graduation during the semester of his expected graduation.

Students may apply for graduation through their LEO account to complete the online application. It is the student’s responsibility to apply for graduation prior to the deadline of the expected semester of graduation. Students who do not apply before the deadline will be required to apply at the next opportunity. No late applications will be accepted.

Each student must meet the following requirements for graduation:

1. A student in an academic field must have successfully completed sixty (60) semester hours which must include six (6) semester hours of English Composition, three (3) semester hours of Public Speaking (SPT 1113), three (3) semester hours of College Algebra (or above), six to eight (6-8) semester hours of a laboratory science, six (6) semester hours of social/behavioral science, three (3) semester hours of fine arts, and six (6) semester hours of humanities. 
2. A student in a technical field must have successfully completed the prescribed program of study as set by the College, which may include general education coursework. To be eligible for graduation in any technical field, the student must have successfully completed all program requirements, including any occupation-specific skills assessment. Students must also complete a battery of assessments as part of the graduation exit exam.
3. A student in a Career program must have successfully completed the prescribed program of study as set by the College, including a college predetermined score on the Accuplacer test, and any occupation-specific skills assessment. Students also must complete a battery of assessments as part of the graduation exit exam.
4. The prospective graduate must have a 2.0 or above on the final overall Grade Point Average.
5. For a student to be eligible for graduation, at least 25% of the credit semester hours required must be completed through instruction offered at EMCC.

Degrees and Certificates

• · The Associate of Arts degree is awarded to an academic student upon successful completion of all requirements.
• · The Associate of Science degree is awarded to an academic student upon successful completion of all requirements.
• · The Associate of Applied Science degree is awarded to a technical student upon successful completion of all requirements.
• · The Technical Certificate of Proficiency is awarded to a career student upon successful completion of all requirements.
• · The Vocational Certificate of Proficiency is awarded to a career student upon successful completion of all requirements.

Graduation With Honors

Students, who meet graduation requirements at EMCC and have a cumulative GPA of the following, will graduate with the following distinctions:

• 3.20 - 3.59 will graduate cum laude (with honor)
• 3.60 - 3.89 will graduate with magna cum laude (with great honor)
• 3.90 - 4.00 will graduate with summa cum laude (with highest honor)

Additionally, members of the Honors Program who have met program requirements will be designated as an Honors Scholar.

Honesty Policy

A hallmark of any profession is integrity and honesty. Academic honesty is expected of all students; therefore, students are expected to accomplish their own individual work. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, deceptive acts such as the following:

1. Plagiarizing from any source
2. Cheating in any manner on tests, papers, reports, etc.
3. Turning in work as their own when, in fact, it was not their work
4. Improperly using technology
5. Stealing, buying, or selling course materials
6. Either impersonating another student during a test or having another person assume one’s identity during a test
7. Deliberately conveying false or misleading information
8. Reusing some or all of a paper written for previous or other courses (self-plagiarizing)

Honors Program

The East Mississippi Community College Honors Program is a community of students, faculty, and staff dedicated to the pursuit of academic excellence. The mission of our program is to inspire students’ achievement through intellectual challenge. We impart critical thinking skills through both innovative and traditional pedagogies. Furthermore, our community instills a commitment to public service and strives to create true global citizens.

Honors Program Eligibility:

Criteria for Entering Freshmen

• ACT composite score of 24 or higher

Criteria for students with previous college work

• CT composite score of 24 or higher;
• 3.5 cumulative GPA with a minimum of 15 hours of transfer-level work; or
• Recommendations from two faculty members

Honors Program Requirements:

• Participants must maintain a minimum GPA of a 3.3 with no grade lower than a C
• Any student who drops below a 3.3 but above a 3.0 will be placed on probation for one semester to allow the student to regain the 3.3. Only one probationary semester is allowed.
• Participants must take at least two honors courses each semester (not including the forum courses)

Contract Courses:

Any regular course can serve as an Honors course if the instructor and student enter into an Honors contract that outlines enrichment activities. The contract must be approved by the Honors Program Directors for the Honors designation to be added to the transcript.

Honors And Distinctions

Full-time academic, career, and technical students having a quality point average of 3.2-3.5 for a semester Dean’s List.

Full-time academic, career, and technical students having a quality point average of above 3.5 for a semester will be honored by having their names placed on the President’s List for that semester.

Military Courses (ROTC)

EMCC partners with Mississippi State University and the United States Army and Air Force to provide military course experiences (ROTC) for students who enroll at East Mississippi Community College. 

Probation And Suspension

Students will be placed on Academic Probation when a regular semester GPA falls below the following criteria:

Students will be placed on Academic Suspension when a regular semester GPA fails to meet the above criteria while on Academic Probation. A regular semester is defined as a fall or spring semester.

Students on Academic Suspension can appeal one-time to continue enrollment or sit out one semester. The Summer semester can be counted for this purpose.

The Academic Suspension appeal must be completed before registering for the term. The appeal should include what strategies will be used to improve academic performance, what lessons learned from this experience, and what has changed in the circumstances. The appeal will be written as an email and sent to advising@eastms.edu. Please include the Student ID and contact information. The Appeals Committee will render a decision within 24 hours of receiving the appeal, excluding weekends and holidays. If the appeal is approved, the decision will be emailed. The student will complete a Student Success contract with a Retention Specialist and register for classes.

After registration, the Retention Specialist will contact the student via phone, online, and email in the first six weeks, after mid-terms, and the last six weeks of the semester to provide support and coaching. It is the student’s responsibility to check their eligibility for financial aid. If financial aid is not approved for the student, they will have to self-pay for classes.

If the appeal is not approved, the student is required to sit out one semester. If a student is placed on academic suspension at EMCC, they cannot take courses at another college/university during the suspension period to transfer them back to EMCC.

Academic Suspension (Transfer or Transient Students)

Students who are on academic suspension must have a letter from the Provost or Registrar’s office stating the student may attend another institution.

Student-Faculty Conference

All full-time instructors will schedule office hours for the purposes of advising and class preparation. The hours should be posted outside instructors’ offices and in course syllabi. All students, but especially those who encounter special difficulties or who are doing unsatisfactory work, should schedule conferences with instructors during these scheduled times. Each instructor is expected to give students aid as needed. Part-time instructors will be available for conferences with students by appointment.

Withdrawals

Before considering withdrawal from a course, a student should be aware of the following information:

1. Students should always check with their advisors first to see if it is in their best interest to withdraw from a class and to discuss the ramifications of a withdrawal.
2. Students receiving Financial Aid, Veteran Benefits, Scholarships, or Loans should note that dropping or withdrawing a course(s) may lower benefits or cause repayment to be due immediately.
3. Students must maintain full-time enrollment (12 semester hours on-ground or more) to live in a residence hall.
4. Students must initiate withdrawals from each/all courses.
5. The required fee for withdrawing from a course is $10.00 per course.
   1. The fee is automatically charged to the student’s account when processed.
   2. Students must obtain a Student Initiated Withdrawal Form from the Advising Center, advising@eastms.edu or Office of the Registrar.
6. The student completes the form and obtains the signature from his/her advisor for approval of change.
7. The student then returns the completed form to advising@eastms.edu or the office of the Registrar.
8. Students must submit form before the last day of withdrawal (noted on the calendar for each term offered by EMCC).
9. The student will be issued a grade of “W” for any/all courses withdrawn. It is the responsibility of the student to return completed withdrawal form to officially withdraw from a course.
10. Administration reserves the right to withdraw a student from a course or all courses as deemed necessary by the College. 

Withdrawal From College-Active Military

Students who are currently enrolled and receive active duty orders must present to the Office of the Registrar the military orders with specific dates for the duty.  The orders must be submitted during the semester of the duty or in the immediately following semester.