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2024-2025 Academic Handbook

Specialty Enrollment Opportunities

Field Experience

Field experience, commonly referred to as "internship" or "cultural experience," usually takes place off campus, yet is an integral part of the student's academic experience. Its purpose is to promote personal and career development by integrating classroom study with planned and supervised practical experience in vocational, educational or cultural activities outside the classroom.

Enrollment in field education is an elective option in certain majors or graduate programs and a requirement in others. Students should refer to catalog requirements to determine how field education applies. The program is open to George Fox University students only.

Academic credit may be earned through participation in an approved field experience program. For traditional undergraduate students, two types of off-campus experiences are available: career and cultural. The career-oriented field experience focuses on two levels, which are "exploratory" (275) and "preparatory" (475). These two levels provide opportunity for initial exposure to a career-interest area and for realistic preparation toward a chosen field.

A full-time undergraduate student may register for up to 12 credit hours of field education coursework during one semester. Part-time involvement can generate credit at the same rate as other methods of learning. Thirty to 45 clock hours per semester are required for one hour of credit. A maximum of 20 hours may be accumulated in field education between numbers 275, 375, and 475. A maximum of 12 hours between the career-oriented options, 275 and 475, may be applied to a degree (the 12-credit maximum also applies to students earning a second bachelor's degree). 

Applications for field experience should be requested through the Career & Academic Planning Center. Applications must be completed, approved by the department chairperson, and submitted to the registrar’s office for enrollment. The vital link to a successful field experience is the faculty sponsor (supervisor) with whom the learning plan is developed and carried out. The program also necessitates a field supervisor at the location of service or employment with whom the faculty sponsor and student interrelate.

Evaluation of the field experience is based upon successful completion of the stated individualized objectives in the learning plan. Field experience is graded pass/no pass.

Special Study

Individualized Study Courses

Courses designated as individualized studies (with course numbers typically ending in X95) are special study programs not a part of the regular curriculum. Such courses entail research or experience in a particular department with the guidance of an instructor.

Undergraduate students may not enroll in more than four individualized study hours in any regular semester and may not accumulate more than 12 individualized study hours toward a degree program.

Independent Study Courses

Required courses in a student’s degree program are not routinely approved to be completed by independent study except in extenuating circumstances. Such circumstances include events that could not have been prevented or anticipated by the student and were beyond his or her control. Examples of situations that will not necessarily be considered extenuating include being too busy, employment demands, or a change of the semester of graduation.

Requests to complete a required course by independent study must be approved by the supervising instructor, the department chair/program director, the school dean, and the registrar. Application forms are available from the registrar and, when completed, become a learning contract between the student and the instructor.

Irregular Credit Hour Course Registration

Students must register for the number of hours that are assigned to a course offered during a given semester.

In exceptional cases, a student may be given permission by the registrar’s office to reduce the credit hours for a course by one or two credit hours. Reducing the number of credit hours for a course is not a possibility if the purpose is to prevent the student from going over block tuition. The professor must be agreeable to the reduction in credit hours. The professor has the option of requiring the student to complete all course requirements even when less credit is granted. The student’s request must be submitted to the registrar’s office by the end of the add/drop period for the semester.

In some cases, students may seek to complete additional credit hours directly related to content of a course for which they may be enrolled during a given semester but beyond the number of semester credits for which the course is offered. Rather than creating and registering for a separate special study course, students can, with approval from the course instructor, department chair/program director, and the registrar, add requirements to those already specified for the course (based on the syllabus). Doing so requires that students specify the additional requirements to be completed, means of evaluation, supporting statement from the instructor, and the number of credit hours by which the course registration is requested to be increased. This information must be submitted to the registrar’s office by the end of the add/drop period for the semester.

OAICU Cross-Registration

A full-time student (undergraduate) may take one course a semester for no additional tuition (if total credits do not exceed 18 semester hours) at one of the neighboring institutions in the Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities (OAICU).

Only courses not available at George Fox campus may be selected. Cross-registration is initiated by application through the registrar’s office. Registration requires approval by the registrar at both the host institution and George Fox University.

Cross-Registration Policies

  1. Students enrolled full time at the home Alliance institution may be eligible to take a minimum of one undergraduate course per term at another Alliance campus. Exceptions to this policy must have approval of both campus registrars.
  2. No additional tuition will be charged for the cross-registered course by either institution, except that:
    1. If the home institution has an "overload" tuition policy it may charge additional tuition if the course is taken on an "overload" basis, or
    2. The host campus may charge special course fees (e.g. laboratory fees) if such fees apply to all students enrolled in the course.
  3. Students may not cross-register for a course that is offered on their own campus unless legitimate scheduling conflicts prevent taking it.
  4. Approval of both home and host campus registrars is mandatory.
  5. Cross-registered students are permitted on a "space available" basis. The host campus has the right to ensure that all of its own students have had an opportunity to enroll before accepting cross-registrants. Further, institutions have the right to exclude cross-registration in certain programs.
  6. Students are bound by host campus policies on such matters as auditing, class attendance, grading and add/drop procedures, deadlines, library use, standards of conduct, examinations, parking regulations, etc.
  7. Students wishing to drop or withdraw from a cross-registration course must have approval of both home and host campus registrars and complete all appropriate forms, particularly at the host campus.

Registration Procedures

  1. Student consults with home campus academic advisor and registrar to determine potential course's appropriateness and applicability to his/her academic program, and to verify course availability and host campus registration deadlines.
  2. Student obtains cross-registration form and secures signature from home campus registrar and is responsible for completing all items. Student then carries form to host campus registrar, secures host registrar's signature and, at that time, completes any host campus registration procedures.
  3. Host registrar sends copy of completed form to home registrar.
  4. Host campus instructor reports grade to host campus registrar.
  5. Host campus registrar reports grade to home campus registrar via transmittal of an official host campus transcript attached to the white Alliance form.
  6. Home campus registrar adds transcripted information to student's permanent academic record.

Questions about OAICU cross-registration can be directed to the Registrar's Office (503-554-2218 or registrar@georgefox.edu). Financial questions about OAICU cross-registration can be directed to Student Accounts (studentaccounts@georgefox.edu).