Credit Acquisition
Credit acquisition is contingent upon the policies set forth by the Smeal College of Business and the University for earning credits toward degree completion. Guidelines below highlight various credits acquisition methods.
The Undergraduate Admissions Office determines which credits will transfer to the University, whereas the academic unit to which the student has been admitted determines how credits will be used to fulfill degree requirements in a student's program of study.
Repeating Courses
Starting Summer 2021, policy C-7 is being enforced where a student may repeat a course only if they earned a grade below a "C". The University has set the number of repeats on a particular course to two attempts. Students who need to take a course for a 3rd time should contact their academic adviser.
Spring 2020 Credit Acquisition Policy
*Note this policy is only for credits obtained during the Spring 2020 semester.*
Due to the unprecedented situation, Penn State University and the Smeal College of Business have approved credit acquisition with satisfactory/unsatisfactory (SA/UN) grades). Instead of receiving a letter grades for courses taken in the Spring 2020 semester only, students will have the OPTION of replacing that letter grade with an alternative grade that will not be included in your GPA calculation. The alternative grades are:
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SAT (Satisfactory): This grade will be available if you earn a C or better in a course. A course with a SAT grade can be used to meet all C or better requirements, including entrance to major and prerequisites.
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V (Pass): This grade will available if you earn a D in a course and will be considered a passing grade. You will earn credits for the course, and a V grade can be used to meet degree requirements for which D is an acceptable grade.
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Z (No Grade): This grade will be available if you earn an F in a course. Z can be used to replace an F grade and will be treated similar to a Late Drop (LD).
More information will be forthcoming as it becomes available.
Credits with Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory and Pass/Fail Grades Do Not Count
The Smeal College of Business does not accept credits with satisfactory/unsatisfactory (SA/UN) grades or pass/fail grades.. Students enrolled at Smeal must enroll in all courses for a letter grade and may never enroll in courses for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grades. Credits taken on a pass/fail basis are automatically disqualified on the student's degree audit and not counted towards degree completion. https://senate.psu.edu/policies-and-rules-for-undergraduate-students/47-00-48-00-and-49-00-grades/#49-60
Courses That Do Not Count Toward a Smeal Degree
Business courses numbered 150 through 199 may not be used to satisfy Smeal or departmental baccalaureate degree requirements. Other business courses not acceptable for meeting the requirements of the bachelor of science degree include: BA 301, BA 302, BA 303, BA 304, FIN 100, FIN 108, MGMT 100, MGMT 100W, MIS 103, MKTG 221, R EST 100, BA 241, BA 242, BA 243, B LAW 342 and SCM 310.
To graduate, a candidate must earn at least a "C" grade in each course designated by the major as a C-required course (University Senate Policy 82-44). The set of C-required courses for each major is chosen by the faculty of the department offering the major.