Division of Humanities
Division of Social Sciences
Division of Natural Sciences
Interdisciplinary Studies
General Catalog
Course Offerings & Schedules

CATALOG TERM

To graduate, each degree-seeking student must meet all provisions and graduation requirements specified in the version of the New College General Catalog that was in effect at the time he or she began continuous enrollment.

Continuous enrollment is defined as registration for consecutive semesters of study without a break. Leaves of Absence, Emergency Leaves of Absence, and Off-campus Study are not considered breaks in enrollment. Continuous enrollment is interrupted when a student withdraws or is dismissed.

Students who are readmitted to New College must fulfill the degree requirements of the New College Catalog in effect at the time of readmission.

New policies and requirements take effect with the fall term of the academic year. If a student’s graduation requirements are affected by changes in policies, appropriate arrangements will be made to preclude a student being penalized.

PRIVACY AND RELEASE OF STUDENT INFORMATION

New College of Florida complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 (Buckley Amendment), which gives students the right to 1) review and Inspect their education records, 2) request the amendment of education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading, 3) consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in their education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosures without consent, and 4) complain to the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by New College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. Further information about the College’s policy with respect to the privacy of student records may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar.

FERPA permits the release of directory information by NCF. Directory information includes a student’s name, date and place of birth, dates of attendance and enrollment status, date of graduation, and degrees and honors awarded. In addition, FERPA permits the release of student records to education officials under prescribed circumstances. These include faculty and other NCF staff with legitimate educational interests, and officials of other schools in which the student is enrolled or seeks to enroll.

If a student does not wish for his or her directory information to be released, he or she should notify the Office of the Registrar.

FERPA violations may be reported to the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20202-4605.

STUDENT E-MAIL ACCOUNTS

Upon enrolling at New College of Florida, students are provided an NCF e-mail account. These accounts will be used by faculty and staff to communicate with students. Students may also use them as their regular e-mail account. The accounts are managed by Information Technology, and will remain active throughout the time a student remains at New College (including during Off-campus Study and approved Leaves of Absence). Students are responsible for monitoring these accounts for official announcements, communications from faculty and staff, and other important campus information.

A student’s e-mail account will be terminated one month after graduation, withdrawal, or dismissal from New College. This one-month "grace period" will start from the official date the change of status occurs. The Office of the Registrar will notify Information Technology of such changes. After one month, the student's e-mail and web pages will be removed from the NCF domain. It is the responsibility of the student, during the grace period, to save any information that he or she may want to keep. In addition, students who are planning to withdraw from New College should change their e-mail addresses in the Student Evaluation System.

Students who have been readmitted to New College must contact Information Technology to request the reactivation of their New College of Florida e-mail accounts.

REGISTRATION

New College registration is a two-part process. All students undertaking an academic contract, an ISP, or work on the thesis should register. Occasionally students have completed all the academic contracts required for graduation, but are still working on another degree requirement, such as an ISP or the senior thesis. Unless such students have registered and paid for supplemental academic contracts, New College does not consider them enrolled.

Registration Part I: Online Registration

To complete the first part of registration, the student accesses “NewCLEIS” from the New College web page (www.ncf.edu), and follows these directions to register online:

Click Admissions, Registration, Records, and Financial Aid to enter Student Services and Financial Aid.
Click Registration to begin the registration process.
Check for holds. The View Holds page in the Registration module shows any holds on a student’s account, and whether those holds will prevent registration. All holds affecting registration must be cleared in order to register. If a student has no holds affecting registration, click Continue with Registration.
On the Registration page, students should register the appropriate contract and ISP.
- A student who has not completed three ISPs is required to register for an ISP with his or her fall registration.
- New students should register for Contract 1 and ISP 1 regardless of any anticipated transfer credit. The Office of the Registrar will enter the appropriate contract into the system once the transfer record has been processed.
- If a student enters the incorrect contract number, the Office of the Registrar will correct the error without penalty to the student.
Click Register to complete registration.
Print the Registration Confirmation as a record of registration.

This part of the registration indicates to the college that the student will be attending that semester full-time, and leads to the generation of a bill for that period of study. Students are assessed 16 billing hours for the term, and an additional 4 billing hours if they are registered for an ISP. Consequently, students should be registered and assessed for 20 billing hours each fall semester until three ISPs are completed. After completing the form, the student receives a confirmation of registration and statement of fees to be assessed for the applicable semester. The deadline to register is the day before the first day of classes. A $100 late fee is charged for registrations submitted after the registration deadline. The late registration period is the first week of classes. Students who are not registered by the end of the first week of the semester are classified as withdrawn from New College. Students who register prior to the beginning of the semester have until the end of the first week of the semester to withdraw and cancel their registrations with no tuition and fees forfeiture. PLEASE NOTE: Scholarship students who are not registered prior to the start of classes may forfeit their scholarships.

If a student encounters any problems logging on to the system, he or she should contact the NewCLEIS hotline at 1-877-NEW-CLEI (639-2534).

If a student has questions about registering for a contract or ISP, he or she should contact the Office of the Registrar at 941-487-4230.

Registration Part II – The New College Academic Contract

The second part of registration is the submission of an academic contract. The contract lists the specific activities in which a student is enrolled during a semester, and must be signed by both the student and the faculty sponsor. The deadline for contract submission is the eighth day of the semester (Friday of the first full week of classes during the fall; Wednesday of the second week of classes during the spring)A $100 late fee is assessed for contracts submitted during the late contract submission period, two days after the contract submission deadline (Monday and Tuesday following the contract submission deadline on Friday during the fall; Thursday and Friday after the Wednesday submission deadline during the spring). Students who do not submit a contract by the tenth day of classes are considered withdrawn.

Registration for ISP

Students register for ISP as part of the fall registration process (for January Interterm ISPs) or the spring registration process (for Summer ISPs).

Because registration and payment for an ISP is combined with registration for a fall or spring contract, a student conducting off-campus study who pays tuition at the host institution may not register for an ISP at New College following that semester of study. To participate in an ISP, the student must pay tuition at New College during the semester preceding the ISP period.

NEW COLLEGE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

The requirements for the New College of Florida Bachelor of Arts degree are:

Seven satisfactory semester contracts.
Completion of the Liberal Arts Curriculum and Math and Computer Literacy requirements.
Three satisfactory Independent Study Projects (ISPs).
Satisfactory completion of the College-Level Academic Skills Test (required by the State of Florida; students may be exempted from this requirement on the basis of college entrance exam scores or previous college-level work).
A satisfactory senior project or thesis.
A satisfactory baccalaureate examination (usually in the form of an oral defense of the senior project).

In addition, the New College faculty, in executive session at the last faculty meeting of the academic year, votes conferral of the Bachelor of Arts degree for each member of the graduating class.

THE LIBERAL ARTS CURRICULUM

In order to earn the Bachelor of Arts degree, students must complete at least eight courses in the Liberal Arts Curriculum of the College, including one of these courses from each of the three Divisions (Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences)The courses that meet the Liberal Arts Curriculum Guidelines at New College are indicated in the Course Syllabus, which is published annually.

These breadth requirements also may be met by scoring a 4 or 5 on an Advanced Placement (AP) tests or College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests, the Cambridge AICE (British A-level) exams, or International Baccalaureate (IB) higher-level (HL) exams. In addition, appropriate courses completed at other institutions may be used to complete this requirement. These tests or courses may be used to satisfy the Liberal Arts Curriculum, but cannot be credited toward contract certification.

MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER LITERACY

Math Literacy. All New College graduates are expected to demonstrate a basic competence in mathematics. A student can demonstrate proficiency by satisfactorily completing a math course at New College or by obtaining a minimum score of 500 on the math section of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), 21 on the math portion of the enhanced American College Test (ACT) or 3 on any Advanced Placement (AP) Test in mathematics. In the event that a student does not meet any of these criteria, he or she must demonstrate competency by passing the Mathematics Skills section of the State of Florida College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), or an International Baccalaureate (IB) higher level (HL) Math exam with a score of 5 or higher, or a College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) General Math exam with a score of 500 or higher, or a CLEP Math Subject test with a score of 50 or higher. Math literacy may also be demonstrated through the satisfactory completion of a college-level Algebra course at another accredited college or university.

Computer Literacy. All enrolled New College students must satisfactorily complete online computer training administered by the Office of the Registrar.

THE NEW COLLEGE ACADEMIC CONTRACT

An academic contract, which corresponds to one full-time semester of enrollment at New College, contains four sections: 1) short- and long-term goals, 2) educational activities, 3) descriptions of academic activities and activities outside of the academic contract, and 4) certification criteria.

In the first section, the student lists long- and short-term academic goals. Goals may of course change over time. Rather than committing to activities or outcomes, contemplation of goals provides an opportunity to imagine the future, and to reflect on how educational choices lead to academic achievements. Over time, successive contracts record new directions in thoughts and aspirations, and document the changes in a student’s intellectual and social development.

The second section lists the specific educational activities that a student plans to undertake. This list can include both semester-long (fourteen-week) and modular (seven-week) activities. Only activities listed here, when completed and evaluated as satisfactory by the appropriate New College professors, appear on the official transcript. Educational activities may be courses, seminars, tutorials, labs, fieldwork, internships, special projects, and the like. For each activity for academic credit, a New College faculty member is listed and is responsible for submitting an evaluation of student work. All activities undertaken as tutorials require the instructor's initials on the contract.

The third section of the contract lists activities outside the formal curriculum, such as personal development projects or employment. These activities do not appear on the transcript, and, while they may form an important part of the student’s experience and play an important role in the discussion with the contract sponsor, a faculty member does not evaluate these activities. This section may also be used to describe in more detail any educational activities listed in the second section.

The final section states the criteria for satisfactory completion of the contract, called "contract certification." The certification criteria reflect an agreement between the student and sponsor as to what constitutes successful academic progress for a semester. These criteria usually involve a number of completed educational activities, but may include the completion of other projects as well, such as planning for the senior thesis or solving a specific academic problem.

The New College faculty member with whom a student develop the contract, and who signs it, is the contract sponsor. He or she serves as a mentor during the semester, helping the student integrate his or her experiences and respond effectively to academic challenges. Though the sponsor is often instructor for one or more of the student’s educational activities, this need not be the case.

A student may change sponsors from semester to semester by simply having the applicable faculty member sign the new contract, but a student cannot change a sponsor during a semester.

The completed contract, with the appropriate signatures, must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the eighth day of the semester (see Registration Part II). The Office of the Registrar processes the form and distributes copies of it to the student and the sponsor.

Contract Renegotiation

After the student submits the contract to the Office of the Registrar, he or she may revise it in consultation with the sponsor, a process called “contract renegotiation.” Educational activities may be added or dropped, and the certification criteria changed. The sponsor must endorse the changes. The deadline for contract renegotiation is Friday of the twelfth week of the semester.

Semester Evaluations

At the end of each semester, the instructor for each educational activity listed in the second section of the contract submits a narrative evaluation of each student’s performance to the Student Evaluation System (SES). In addition to providing details related to the student’s performance, this evaluation specifies whether or not that work is "Satisfactory," "Incomplete," or "Unsatisfactory."

Incompletes and the One-Year Rule

For work designated as “incomplete,” a faculty member may specify a deadline for completion in the Student Evaluation System. If the faculty member makes no designation, educational activities that are incomplete after one year from the first day of the semester for which the contract was written automatically become “Unsatisfactory.” For example, a course taken during fall 2006 and not completed becomes “Unsatisfactory” on the first day of classes of fall semester 2007. This practice applies to modular and full-term courses.

The deadlines for the submission of semester evaluations by the faculty is Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. during the eighteenth week after the beginning of the semester.

Evaluations are internal communications between professors, students, and contract sponsors. They are not part of the official transcript, are not included with transcripts, and are never translated by the Registrar into grades. A student can download his or her evaluations and copy them as part of graduate and professional school applications, but the narrative evaluations do not have status as official transcripts, and cannot be given this status by the Office of the Registrar.

Contract Certification

The contract sponsor certifies the academic contract after evaluations have been submitted to the online Student Evaluation System. This certification is based on the criteria articulated in the fourth section of the contract. The deadline for contract certifications is ten days after the beginning of the following semester. Like individual classes, contracts are certified as Satisfactory, Incomplete, or Unsatisfactory.

THE INDEPENDENT STUDY PROJECT REQUIREMENT

The ISP requirement addresses four educational objectives:

to help students learn to conduct independent research
to supplement the curriculum and to encourage off-campus study
to provide an opportunity for non-traditional, innovative, experiential learning projects, and
to allow a time for intensive involvement with one subject or activity.

A student chooses a topic in consultation with a faculty member who agrees to become the ISP sponsor. The ISP Handbook and the Workshop, held in November of each year, provide guidance to students as to the types of ISPs that faculty encourage. Projects may be carefully defined at the beginning, or left open-ended and exploratory. The content and demands should be roughly equivalent to that of a term-length tutorial. A full-time, four-week academic activity, the ISP is incompatible with full-time employment, a regular semester contract, or a second, simultaneous ISP. Three ISPs are required for graduation. A student may register for a fourth ISP.

The first ISP must take place as on-campus study in order to assure the opportunity for frequent consultation between student and sponsor. When strongly justified by the educational benefits of a project, a student may petition the Provost for a waiver of this requirement. To petition for a waiver, a student should send a letter to the Provost describing the project and explaining what educational benefits justify doing the project off campus. The petition should be accompanied by the completed Independent Study Project Description Form and a letter of support from the project advisor. Transfer students are not bound by this requirement, although on-campus study during the first ISP is strongly recommended. When practical, subsequent ISPs should also be done as on-campus study to permit sponsor-student consultation.

Registering for the January Interterm ISP

The process of registering for an ISP has two steps:

Registering and paying for the ISP, and
Submitting an ISP Description Form.

Step I: If a student intends to do a January ISP, he or she may register for it during fall registration or during the fall semester, and pay for it as an addition to fall tuition. Registration may take place electronically if completed during the period before classes start, or it may take place through an ISP Add/Drop form submitted to the Office of the Registrar until the last day of the fall semester. In other words, students may not add a January ISP to their fall registration after the last day of fall classes.

Step II: In addition to registering and paying for the ISP, the student must submit an ISP Description Form signed by the project advisor and the fall contract sponsor. In order to complete the form, the student must articulate a title or topic for the ISP, a core bibliography, the form of the final project (e.g. critical essay, research paper, work of art, series of examinations, performance, etc.), and a description of the project including goals and procedures. The form must be received by the Office of the Registrar by 5 p.m. on December 1. The Office of the Registrar will accept the form without penalty to the student until the end of the first week of the Interterm period. After the first week of Interterm, the form will not be accepted.

Renegotiating the ISP

ISPs may be thought of as mini contracts negotiated for the January Interterm period. Like term-length contracts, ISPs may be renegotiated at the discretion of the original ISP advisor at any time during January. There is no ISP renegotiation form; instead, the student files a new ISP Description Form with the Office of the Registrar, printing the words “Supersedes Previous Form” at the top of the page. A student may change the ISP advisor until the last day of the Interterm. A change of advisor requires the consent of both the original and the new advisor, and requires that a new ISP Description Form be submitted. The contract sponsor from fall must also sign the new form.

Summer ISPs

ISPs are normally completed during the January Interterm, when faculty members are available for consultation; however, an ISP may also be undertaken during the summer.

A student may register for a summer ISP in order to make up a deficiency, accelerate progress through the academic program, or to take advantage of a special opportunity. If a student intends to do a summer ISP, he or she must register for it during spring registration or the spring semester, and pay for it as an addition to spring tuition. Registration may take place electronically if completed during the period before classes start, or it may take place through an ISP Add/Drop form submitted to the Office of the Registrar until the last day of classes of the spring semester preceding the summer ISP session. The ISP description form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by 5:00 p.m. on June 1.

Cancellation of the ISP

If a student registers for an Interterm ISP but fails to turn in an ISP Description Form by the last day of the first week of the January Interterm period, then the Office of the Registrar records the ISP as cancelled. For a summer ISP the deadline for the ISP Description Form is 5:00 p.m. on June 1. The last day of attendance is recorded as the last day of the fall term for Interterm ISPs or the last day of the spring term for Summer ISPs. The student receives no credit for the ISP and loses all tuition and fees paid in association with it.

ISP tuition and fees will be refunded to a student only in the following cases:

the student officially withdraws from New College during the semester preceding the ISP
the student is granted an emergency leave of absence during the semester preceding the ISP
the student is dismissed during the semester preceding the ISP.

The student receives no credit for the ISP and loses all fees paid in association with it, but need not apply for readmission to register for the fall term.

Off-campus Study ISPs

Students engaged in independent study off campus pay tuition and fees to New College. If, however, a student enrolls in a host institution to complete an ISP, the student should submit a request for waiver of New College tuition and fees.

Deadlines for Completing ISPs

All work completed as part of the Interterm ISP is due no later than the last day of the Interterm period. After that date, the ISP will be considered incomplete. If a student has not completed the work for an Interterm ISP by the day before the first day of the following fall semester, the ISP will be evaluated as Unsatisfactory. All work completed as part of the Summer ISP is due the day before fall classes begin. If a student has not completed a Summer ISP by the day before the first day of the following spring semester, the ISP will be evaluated as Unsatisfactory.

Deadlines for Faculty Evaluations of ISPs

The deadline for faculty to evaluate Interterm ISPs is the first day of the fall term; the deadline to evaluate Summer ISPs is the first day of the following spring term. If a student has turned in an ISP and has received no acknowledgment of his or her completed work in the Student Evaluation System, the student should contact the ISP sponsor and request that the professor indicate “All Work Completed” in the Student Evaluation System.

Appeals of ISP terminations, ISPs that are deemed Unsatisfactory because they were turned in after the deadline for faculty to evaluate them, will be heard by the Student Academic Status Committee (SASC), which can waive termination in exceptional cases.

PROVISIONAL AREA OF CONCENTRATION

By the middle of the fifth academic contract (including contracts exempted by transfer credit), the student must complete a Provisional Area of Concentration Plan. A student may not register for the following semester until the Office of the Registrar receives the form. A student may submit a new form modifying the plan at any time prior to the filing of the Thesis Prospectus.

The first section specifies the intended area of concentration. There are six categories:

1. General Studies: Requires the endorsement of two faculty from different Divisions and presupposes study in all three Divisions. No Area of Concentration is recorded on the transcript. Any student who has completed the Liberal Arts Curriculum is eligible to graduate in general studies.

2. Divisional Concentration (Humanities, Natural Sciences, or Social Sciences): Requires the endorsement of two faculty members (usually from different disciplines) from within the appropriate Division and fulfillment of Divisional requirements. A Social Sciences concentration requires the endorsement of three faculty from that Division.

3. Disciplinary Concentration: Requires the endorsement of two faculty from a discipline presently represented at New College. For disciplines having only one faculty member, a student must petition the Division for acceptance of the disciplinary concentration when appropriate work in the discipline has been done off campus with the approval of the New College faculty member representing the discipline.

4. Joint-Disciplinary Concentration (“slash” major): This is a combination of two or more disciplines offered at New College and is indicated by a slash between the disciplines (biology/chemistry). A joint-disciplinary concentration requires the endorsement of three faculty members, at least one from each discipline. This combined concentration is used to indicate a plan of study in which substantial study has occurred in two disciplines, but not enough for a double Area of Concentration (see below).

5. Double Area of Concentration (double major): May be accomplished in one of two ways:

· One Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration form is filed with signatures from four faculty members, two from each area of concentration. The student meets all requirements of each discipline. The four faculty members comprise the baccalaureate committee. The student completes one thesis satisfying the requirements of both concentrations and undergoes one baccalaureate examination.

· Two Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration forms are filed and all requirements for a concentration in each discipline are met, including two theses and two baccalaureate examinations (see disciplinary concentration above).

6. Special Program Concentration: A special program concentration represent a program of study that is not found in this Catalog's "Academic Disciplines" section, and that is developed in consultation between a student and faculty members. The title must accurately describe the area of study, and must begin with the designation, "Special Program." A special program concentration requires the endorsement of two faculty. In some cases, where there are limited course offerings at New College that apply to the designated special program, appropriate off-campus work will be required.

An expanded description of the proposed special program concentration must be attached to the Provisional Area of Concentration Plan form. The attachment must include a short narrative description of the program being proposed, and a specific list of all activities–course work on or off campus or other educational activities–that should be undertaken to complete the program. A similar attachment must accompany the Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration form. The expanded description must be signed by the faculty who signed the Provisional Area of Concentration and/or Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration forms. The faculty member endorsing the Area of Concentration, in collaboration with the student, may retract a description at any time or modify it by submitting another under the same special Area of Concentration name. The new or modified description then supersedes the preceding description.

If the special program is similar to programs offered by other undergraduate institutions, or if it implies preparation for particular graduate or professional programs, the faculty deems it very helpful for the description to relate the program to these other programs.

A copy of the description must be submitted to the Office of the Provost of New College, which in turn will distribute it to the Chairs of the College's three Academic Divisions. They will bring the description before their Division faculties for discussion. A file of special program areas of concentration is maintained by the Office of the Registrar and is available to all members of the College community.

The second section of the Provisional Area of Concentration Plan provides for a description of the academic activities required to complete the plan of study at New College. This description should reflect any remaining requirements. In completing this section, the student and a faculty member within the student’s chosen Area of Concentration (often, but not always, the contract sponsor) review the student’s record and document the requirements necessary for completing the proposed Area of Concentration.

THESIS PROSPECTUS/AREA OF CONCENTRATION FORM

Within each area of concentration, the specific mix of courses, tutorials, fieldwork, study abroad, and other projects will vary from student to student.

The academic endeavors necessary to complete an area of concentration often include a list or sequence of specific course requirements; additional required courses, tutorials, and projects will be determined by the student and sponsor, in collaboration with other faculty. Regardless of the chosen are of concentration, a New College graduate is expected to have satisfactorily completed at least eight educational activities beyond an elementary level directly related to the area of concentration. Furthermore, the total number of educational activities required to complete an area required to complete an area of concentration should normally be fewer than half the total number of activities included on the seven contracts and three Independent Study Projects required for the baccalaureate degree.

By the middle of the sixth semester (including contracts exempted by transfer credit) a student must complete a Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration form. The first section of this form indicates the type of concentration (see above). The second section outlines the work a student must complete to satisfy the Area of Concentration. The first and second sections are, then, updates of the Provisional Plan filed during the fifth contract. The third section of the form contains the thesis prospectus. It includes a working title or topic, summary description, and key bibliography for the thesis.

This form supersedes the Provisional Area of Concentration Plan and requires the signatures of three faculty members. Two faculty members, one of whom is the thesis sponsor, ratify the Area of Concentration. The third (unless Area of Concentration requirements dictate otherwise) is a faculty member of the student’s choice from any of the Academic Divisions. The three signers become members of the baccalaureate committee. Although in most cases there is only one thesis sponsor, other members of the committee may serve as advisors to the student in the development of the senior thesis.

The Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by 5 p.m. on the first Friday of Module II during the sixth contract. PLEASE NOTE: A student must submit this form to the Office of the Registrar in order to enroll for the following semester.

THE SENIOR THESIS

In order to graduate from New College of Florida, all students, regardless of Area of Concentration, undertake and complete a senior project or thesis. The completed project should demonstrate the ability to express ideas and information in writing. When the thesis is approved by the thesis sponsor, the original copy is archived in Jane Bancroft Cook Library. The student is responsible for delivering the final copy of the thesis to the Library the Monday of graduation week by 5 p.m. A student’s degree will not be awarded until the thesis is in the Library. All theses that have been completed at New College are available in Cook Library. Signature of the abstract by the faculty thesis sponsor or sponsors signifies approval of the thesis for deposit in the Library.

If the thesis takes other than written form—for example, a work of art—the student must also submit a written description of the project to the Library, along with slides, a video, or a recording as the baccalaureate committee deems appropriate.

THESIS FORMAT

The bound copy of the thesis available to library users should be professionally presented as the scholarly document it is. Hence the thesis must comply with certain regulations as to format. Each year the library director assigns a library thesis advisor who checks the theses for form and who receives and signs off on the final document. The library copy of the thesis must conform to the following requirements:

Paper
The thesis must be printed on acid free, 20 pound weight, at least 25% rag cotton content, white archival bond paper. It is available for purchase in the campus bookstore.

Margins
The left margin must be 1.5 inches wide to allow space for binding. The top, left and bottom margins must be one inch wide.

Print
A standard unified type size and typeface is customary, with script, italicized or slanted typeface reserved for emphasis, technical or other special terms and foreign words. Any necessary variations should be discussed with the faculty thesis advisor. Any symbols to be inserted in the text, which are not on the standard qwerty keyboard, should be made in the same color ink (black is customary) as the printed text.

Page Numbers
Pages of the thesis should be consecutively numbered. Roman lower-case numbers are used for the front matter. Arabic numerals are used for the body of the text.

Spacing
The abstract and the body of the text should be double spaced. For directions on how to space indented quotations, footnotes or endnotes, or bibliographies, please consult the style guide recommended by the faculty advisor.

Illustrations
Photographs, charts and other materials mounted on sheets for inclusion in the thesis must be securely fixed to pages, and should follow the guidelines for margins stated above. Graphs, charts and tables may be in color or black and white. Visual materials may be inserted at the appropriate point in the text, or at the end of the manuscript. Short tables may be placed on a page with some text, or centered on separate sheets.

Abstract
The library copy of the thesis will contain an abstract of approximately two hundred words that is signed by the thesis advisor(s). If the abstract lacks a signature, the library thesis advisor will contact the thesis sponsor.

A final copy of the abstract should be e-mailed to the library thesis advisor, creed@ncf.edu, as a Word or .rtf file for inclusion in the Thesis Database.

For senior theses, the abstract should summarize the problems addressed, the research, the methods, and the major findings. For senior projects, the abstract should describe the project, its medium and its shape, and the problems or issues that the project addressed.

Oversize Materials
Because of difficulties in binding, the library recommends avoiding the use of oversize materials. Charts and other illustrations to be included in the thesis should be reduced or redesigned to fit a standard page. If oversize material is used, it must be folded to fit in a pocket inserted into the thesis.

Citations and Bibliography
Style of citations and format of bibliography (footnotes or endnotes) must be approved by the faculty thesis advisor.

Arrangement of Thesis
In general, the manuscript is arranged in three sections: 1) preliminaries or front matter, 2) text, and 3) back matter.

Preliminaries or Front Matter
This section contains the following components, some of which are optional. Pagination in this section is in lower-case Roman numerals.

Title Page (Count as “page i,” but do not number this page.)
Dedication (optional) If included, begins pagination here (ii).
Preface or Acknowledgments (optional)
Table of Contents (List all parts of thesis, except title page)
List of Illustrations and List of Tables (when relevant)
Abstract

Text
Pagination in this section is in Arabic numerals and begins on page 1 of the text. The text may be divided into chapters.

Back Matter
This section should be arranged in the following order:

Appendices (when relevant). If the thesis contains only one appendix, do not “letter” or number it. If, however, the thesis contains more than one appendix, provide a title, letter or number for each one.
Endnotes (when relevant)
Bibliography

Variations on this model may be made by students in consultation with the faculty thesis advisor.

Submission of the Library Copy

A senior thesis is a scholarly document. All senior theses will be bound in the library at New College and made available upon request, to members of the public.

Each thesis must be submitted to the Jane Bancroft Cook Library in a cardboard box or heavy envelope (10x13). Please attach an extra copy of the title page attached to the outside of the box/envelope. Audiovisual materials that are part of the thesis project should be submitted with the thesis text. All non-paper materials, such as photographs, CDs and DVDs, must be labeled with the thesis student’s name and year of graduation.

The final library copy should be as clean and correct as possible. The library advisor may reject manuscripts with light or unreadable print or that otherwise do not meet the specifications described here.

If the library advisor finds the thesis does not meet these standards, the thesis student is responsible for making changes in time to meet graduation deadlines. The library thesis advisor is responsible for accomplishing review in a timely manner.

Sample Abstract (click here)

Sample Title Page (click here)

THE BACCALAUREATE EXAMINATION

The baccalaureate examination, conducted by the baccalaureate committee, is an oral defense of the student’s performance in three areas: senior thesis, Area of Concentration, and the undergraduate education in general. It is the final requirement for graduation, coming in the final semester and presupposing completion of the senior thesis and the requirements for the Area of Concentration. No student may graduate until the quality of her/his educational achievement has been closely examined and approved by three faculty members. The ability to express ideas and information orally is assessed as part of the baccalaureate examination process. The baccalaureate examination usually is held two or three weeks prior to the semester's end, but examinations can be scheduled earlier. The dates of the baccalaureate exam week, the first three days of the twelfth week and the last two days of the fourteenth week, are announced in the academic calendar.

Baccalaureate examinations are open to the New College community. PLEASE NOTE: Students must follow specific procedures in notifying the community of the time and place of the baccalaureate examination. The Office of the Registrar provides procedural details.

A student’s senior thesis project committee, which is also the baccalaureate committee, includes a senior thesis sponsor and at least two other faculty members, all of whom have signed the Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration Form on file in the Office of the Registrar. In the event that a student wishes to change the membership of the committee, a new Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration Form, signed by the new committee members, must be filed in the Office of the Registrar two weeks before the baccalaureate examination. Previous committee members will be notified of the change by the Office of the Registrar. A baccalaureate examination may be held only with the approval of the thesis sponsor.

The Baccalaureate Evaluation Form, containing signatures of the baccalaureate committee members, certifies that a student has satisfactorily completed the exam. It must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar no later than 5 p.m. of the Friday preceding graduation week. A satisfactory thesis evaluation must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by 5 p.m. the following Monday.

If performance on the baccalaureate examination is judged unsatisfactory by one or more of the baccalaureate committee members, the student may: a) fulfill the conditions set by the committee to the satisfaction of the thesis sponsor; b) request another baccalaureate examination with the same committee; or c) reconstitute the baccalaureate committee. All members of the reconstituted committee must sign a new Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration form, which must be filed in the Office of the Registrar; a student cannot hold a new baccalaureate examination until two weeks after the new Thesis Prospectus form is filed. Other deadlines concerning examinations and graduation remain in effect.

The New College faculty, in executive session at the last faculty meeting of the academic year, votes conferral of all degrees. If a student has not met the requirements for the degree by the time of the faculty meeting, the student cannot graduate in that academic year. The student may fulfill the requirements by some later time agreed upon with appropriate faculty members and be presented to the faculty as a whole no sooner than three months after the year's degree-granting faculty meeting and no later than five years after that meeting.

ENROLLMENT OF THESIS STUDENTS (THE “LANGSTON RULE”)

Students who hold baccalaureate examinations between the first day of classes of the fall semester and the end of the January Interterm ISP period must be enrolled for that fall semester to hold their baccalaureates. Students who hold their baccalaureates between the first day of classes of the spring semester and two weeks after graduation must be enrolled for that spring semester. Baccalaureates held later than two weeks after graduation and before the start of classes of the fall semester require registration for that fall semester. Appeals for waiver of this policy must be made to the Provost. This rule is based on a memorandum from Interim Dean & Warden Douglas Langston on May 8, 1998. The memorandum was discussed in Faculty Meeting of 03/11/1998; a full text of the memorandum is appended to the minutes of that meeting.

EARLY GRADUATION

Seven satisfactory academic contracts are required for graduation; however, a student may graduate after completion of six contracts by successfully petitioning the Student Academic Status Committee (SASC), prior to beginning his or her sixth semester, for waiver of the seventh semester. A Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration form must be submitted either before or with the petition.

A student graduating in six semesters is expected to complete an academic program comparable in content to that of a student graduating in the standard seven semesters. The work must be of superior quality. The student must have met both the liberal arts curriculum requirement and his or her Area of Concentration requirements. The student must obtain the support of the senior thesis advisor and a second faculty member signing the Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration form. All other academic requirements must be met in order to graduate early.

Failure to complete all graduation requirements by the end of the sixth semester voids any prior SASC approval of an early graduation petition and requires enrollment for a seventh semester.

The requirement of four on-campus contracts cannot be waived by a request for early graduation. Thus, a transfer student who enters New College with credit for three contracts is not eligible for early graduation.

EXTRA CONTRACTS OR SEMESTERS

Specific academic programs may require the completion of contracts beyond the seven required for graduation. Students registering for contracts beyond the seventh are expected to take part in full-time work as a student.

TRANSFER CREDIT

Students transferring to New College from another accredited college or university are awarded transfer credit in the form of exemptions from contracts and required Independent Study Projects.

Only work in the liberal arts and sciences completed at the grade equivalent of "C" or above at an accredited college or university is considered for transfer credit; such work must be certified on an official transcript. Advanced Placement examinations, or other examinations in lieu of courses, do not receive transfer credit.

The maximum transfer credit granted, regardless of the number of credits earned elsewhere, is three New College academic contracts (the equivalent of three semesters) and one Independent Study Project. Thus, to earn the New College degree, all students, including transfers, must complete at New College a minimum of four contracts, two Independent Study Projects, a senior thesis, and a baccalaureate examination.

PLEASE NOTE: New College does not divide academic contracts, which represent a full semester's work, into lesser units of credit. In order to be considered eligible for transfer credit, a student must bring to New College enough credits to be exempted from an academic contract (a full semester of study). Because the Independent Study Project at New College, equivalent to a semester course, comes after a full semester of college study, Independent Study Project exemption is possible only when transfer students bring substantially more than the equivalent of one contract's credit. Transfer credit for an ISP alone is not granted.

For a detailed discussion of transfer credit, see the Registrar’s website: http://www.ncf.edu/Registrar/TransferCredit/Transfer_Credit.htm.

OFF-CAMPUS STUDY

The Place of Off-Campus Study in the Curriculum

Intellectual challenge cannot be confined to a campus. Internships, fieldwork, apprenticeships, and independent research away from campus offer opportunities to gain new social, critical, and analytical skills, and to test career interests. Engagement in other cultures yields new personal knowledge and skills and special insight into the lives of others. Study at other colleges or universities can expand the range of options available to a student, compensating for the limitations of a single college campus.

Because off-campus study can make a major contribution to an undergraduate education, New College regulations and programs facilitate such study wherever possible. For example, the academic contract allows a student to incorporate fieldwork or an apprenticeship into the academic program.

If a student undertakes an academic contract that consists of study at another accredited college or university, or at a recognized field study center, he or she pays tuition and fees only to the host institution, not to New College. In order for the student to receive credit at the end of the off-campus endeavor, the host institution must send an official transcript, or other appropriate and official account of the experience, to New College of Florida Office of the Registrar (New College will accept the transcripts of recognized foreign universities for off-campus study purposes). The Office of the Registrar will provide the academic advisor with a copy of the transcript once it is received from the host institution.

If off-campus study as an academic contract is not undertaken at another college, university, or field study center, New College faculty are responsible for evaluation of the student’s work. In such cases, the student pays tuition and fees to New College.

Resources for Off-Campus Study

New College provides extensive resources for identifying and evaluating off-campus opportunities through Career Services on campus. Planning for an off-campus semester should begin with a visit to Career Services and its website, which is linked to the New College homepage www.ncf.edu/CareerServices.

Off-Campus Study Eligibility

To qualify for off-campus study, a student must have completed two successive satisfactory contracts at New College, and must declare his or her intent by April 1 for the following fall semester or November 1 for spring semester. See the form on the registrar’s web site,

(http://www.ncf.edu/registrar/Forms/OCS_&_LOA_Declaration_Fall.pdf), which must be signed by the contract sponsor

In addition, students who wish to study off campus should be aware of the following conditions and requirements:

An off-campus contract must be deemed as equivalent to a full-time contract at New College by the contract sponsor.
The student’s final contract must be completed on campus.
The student must complete four of his or her seven contracts on campus in order to graduate.
While off campus, the student remains responsible for all deadlines related to his or her subsequent return.
A student who pursues off-campus study for two consecutive semesters will need to reestablish in-state residency upon return to New College. See the form at http://www.ncf.edu/registrar/Residency.html.

Registering for Off-Campus Study

All students registering for off-campus study should complete a contract in consultation with the contract sponsor and submit it to the Office of the Registrar before leaving campus during the semester before off-campus study, before winter or summer breaks. They should also be aware of the following guidelines:

The contract must be received no later than the first day of the semester that the student is away from New College.
When negotiating the certification requirements for Off-Campus Contracts, the student and the contract sponsor should take into consideration such factors as the quality of the institution, the level of courses to be taken, and the integration of the work into the student’s academic program at New College.
A student may have trouble committing to or confirming all the details of an off-campus contract before arriving at the host institution. Students should submit new contracts, signed by their contract sponsors, to the Office of the Registrar when their schedules at the host institutions are finalized.
Students who are participating in the National Student Exchange (NSE) program register and pay tuition and fees at New College.

Special Concerns for Students Paying the Host Institution

Paying the host for off-campus study involves a slightly different set of procedures from paying at New College of Florida.

Students paying the host institution should complete a Tuition Waiver Form and submit it with the Off-Campus Study Form to the Office of the Registrar.
For every semester that a student studies off campus and pays tuition to the host, he or she must request a Tuition Waiver from New College.
Once tuition at New College has been waived, the student’s contract may show only work to be done at the host institution. A student may not include independent work with a New College faculty member as part of the Off-Campus Contract if tuition is paid to the host institution.
Students paying at the host institution do not need to register in NewCLEIS
Students paying at the host institution are not eligible to register for an ISP following the semester of off-campus study.

Off-Campus Study and Financial Aid

If a student has a scholarship and/or need-based financial aid, he or she should consult with the Office of Financial Aid well in advance of the off-campus semester. Some types of scholarship and need-based aid can apply to off-campus study, but others are restricted to use on campus. The Office of Financial Aid assists students in their efforts to secure funding for an off-campus semester.

Students receiving financial aid must enroll in at least 12 credits at the host institution to qualify as a full-time student.

Off-Campus Study, the Provisional AOC Plan and the Thesis Prospectus

If the proposed semester of off-campus study occurs during the student’s fifth contract, he or she must submit the Provisional Area of Concentration Declaration before beginning off-campus study.

If the proposed semester of off-campus study occurs during the student’s sixth contract, he or she must submit the Thesis Prospectus before beginning off-campus study

Forwarding Mail from New College

In order to continue receiving mail, a student should leave a forwarding address (preferably a permanent off-campus address) with the Office of Student Affairs and the Campus Mail Center before departing campus.

Receiving Credit for Off-Campus Study

Upon arriving at the host institution, a student should go to the Registrar’s Office and request that an official transcript be sent to the following address at the end of the semester:

Office of the Registrar
PMD 115
New College of Florida
5800 Bay Shore Road
Sarasota, FL 34243

Off-Campus Study Contract Certification

When a student completes a contract while enrolled at a host institution, the contract sponsor will base its certification on two documents: 1) the off-campus contract and 2) the transcript from the host institution. Off-campus contracts for study at another institution should list the titles, numbers, and credit hours for the courses that the student intends to take and provide certification criteria. The Office of the Registrar acknowledges the transcript from the host institution regardless of the details of the contract.

To be sure a student is informed of his or her registration and tuition and fees obligations, he or she should consult with the Office of the Registrar as planning for off-campus study progresses.

Off-Campus Study Summer Contract

A student can pursue a summer semester at another college or university in order to compress the semesters required for graduation into a shortened time period (thus, seven semesters could be done, with a summer semester, in three years instead of three-and-a-half years). However, a student cannot undertake off-campus contracts involving fieldwork, internships, or the like during the summer because these require the active participation of New College faculty, who are not available during summer recess.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE

Successful progress in the rigorous academic program at New College requires the full commitment of each student. When such a commitment is not possible, a student may apply for a leave of absence. Reasons for taking a leave might include the need to work full time, a family crisis, or an extraordinary opportunity for educational travel (e.g., to participate in a scientific expedition), to participate in a political activity or to take advantage of other exceptionally enriching personal opportunities that do not fit into the academic portion of the contract.

A student may take a maximum of two semesters (either consecutive or not) of leave from enrollment at New College. S/he must declare the intention to take a leave by November 1 for the following spring semester or April 1 for the following fall semester using the Leave of Absence form available from the Registrar. A declaration of intent to take a leave must be approved by the student’s contract sponsor. To be eligible for a leave of absence, a student must have completed two consecutive satisfactory contracts.

A student considering a leave of absence should be aware of the following:

A student who does not return in the semester following a leave is regarded as having withdrawn from New College, and must apply to the Student Academic Status Committee (SASC) for readmission.
A student who declares a leave of absence and then decides to remain enrolled should inform the Registrar and then register before the first day of the semester.
While on leave, a student does not pay tuition and fees and is not entitled to use College housing, facilities or services.
A student who has been granted a leave of absence should reapply for financial aid on the same basis as continuing students. If a student plans to return in fall or spring of the next academic year, s/he should meet the following deadlines and submit appropriate forms in order to receive consideration for financial aid:

Submit FAFSA to federal processor by April 1.

Notify the Office of Financial Aid of intent to return by December 1 for spring semester and by May 1 for fall semester.

Submit documentation requested by the Office of Financial Aid no later than May 1.

A student who meets the November 1 or April 1 deadline to request a leave and who submits all required documentation to the Office of Financial Aid will maintain all need-based and merit aid.
A student who misses the deadline to request leaves may petition the Office of the Provost for an exemption.
The Office of Financial Aid cannot guarantee that all aid and/or scholarships will be restored to a student who takes a leave of absence that requires exemption from the November 1 or April 1 deadline for requests. These students should speak to a staff member of the Office of Financial Aid for clarification of their situation.

While on leave, a student may complete incomplete work from previous semesters within the “one-year rule” and incomplete ISPs that fall within the published deadlines.
A student may not register for the ISP following the semester in which s/he is on a leave of absence. If a student takes a leave of absence, tuition and fees related to the interterm or summer ISP for which the student had registered will be refunded.
A student in his or her first year of study at New College who wishes to apply for a leave of absence must petition the Office of the Provost for exemption from the rule that a student have two completed satisfactory contracts on campus. Exemptions will be considered only in exceptional cases.

EMERGENCY LEAVE OF ABSENCE

An emergency leave of absence may be granted to a student when a crisis significantly impairs the student’s ability to function academically. Such crises may be medical or psychological, or may involve a tragedy such as a death in the family. In the case of medical (including psychological) issues, an appropriate professional (e.g. a physician or a licensed therapist) must certify that the student’s situation prohibits continued academic involvement.

Application procedure for an emergency leave

A student considering an emergency leave of absence (ELOA) should follow the procedure listed below:

The student contacts the Director of Counseling and Wellness in writing, in person, or by telephone to request an emergency leave.
The Director of Counseling and Wellness, after consulting with the appropriate staff and counseling or medical professionals, determines if an emergency leave is warranted.
The Director of Counseling and Wellness may set conditions for return to the College (continued therapy, hospitalization, etc.).
A letter confirming the leave is sent to the student with copies to the Provost, the Registrar, the student’s contract sponsor, the Dean of Students, the Director of Financial Aid, and the Director of Housing.

Returning to New College after an emergency leave

To return to New College following an emergency leave of absence, a student should take the following steps and understand the following conditions:

The student must contact the Director of Counseling and Wellness to request clearance for readmission. If the Director set conditions for return to the College, the student must provide the Director evidence that these conditions have been met, including documentation from a licensed professional that states that s/he is capable of resuming academic activities.
A student who does not return to New College in the term following the emergency leave is considered withdrawn from the College and must apply for readmission through the Student Academic Status Committee (SASC), observing deadlines as outlined in the catalog. The student must still receive clearance from the Director of Counseling and Wellness.

A student considering an emergency leave of absence should be aware of the following conditions:

The deadline for granting emergency leave is the end of the twelfth week of the applicable term, the same date as the contract renegotiation deadline.
Emergency leave is for one semester only--the semester in which it is requested--and may be granted only once during a student’s tenure at New College.
Emergency leaves are not granted during the ISP period.
A student may not register for an interterm or summer ISP following the semester of emergency leave.
A student on emergency leave may not

live on campus
use College facilities and services
receive academic credit for the semester for which leave is granted, except for first-module courses or activities for which the work is completed before the leave.

A student on emergency leave is subject to the College’s refund policy for tuition and housing.
A student on emergency leave who received Federal Title IV funds may have to repay a portion of those funds. See ”Withdrawal and Financial Aid/Return of Title IV Funds” in the New College catalog.
A student on academic probation is not eligible for emergency leave.
If a student had any academic deficiencies (incomplete and/or unsatisfactory work) prior to taking emergency leave, those deficiencies are subject to academic review upon return.
A student who is on emergency leave is not eligible for a leave of absence the semester immediately following the emergency leave.