Academic Policies
1. Transfer of Credits
APC will accept credits from outside institutions provided that such credits are equivalent to those courses offered by APC, and have been completed with a grade of D or higher. Only course credits are accepted for transfer.Grades and grade points from other institutions do not transfer to APC. Although all qualified courses may transfer over, APC will apply no more than 15 of those credits toward the 30 hours of core and elective course work required for graduation. Note that APC retains discretion in evaluating whether courses taken at outside institutions meet APC’s requirements and may substitute for APC courses.
2. Procedures for Tracking Academic Progress
Students must maintain a 2.00 cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) or higher in order to remain in satisfactory academic standing with the school. Students who fail to meet these GPA requirements will be subjected to a probationary period of one semester. During the probationary period, the student must meet with an advisor on a regular basis to discuss the student’s progress towards raising his or her GPA. If the student fails to reach a 2.00 GPA at the end of the probationary period, the student will be suspended from the program for a period of one semester. Readmission t to the program will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
3. Continuing Enrollment and Leave of Absence
After admission to Asia-Pacific College, students must be enrolled each semester for course work. Students must register each semester for at least three hours of credit. Continuing students may apply for a leave of absence for a specified period of up to two semesters, but not consecutively, if they (1) have just completed their prior semester at the College and (2) are in good academic standing (neither on probation nor subject to suspension or dismissal). Students may not take more than two regular semesters of leave before graduation; additional semesters of leave will be granted only under extenuating circumstances. Because of the schedule of courses, students in the MIL Program who take a leave of absence may not be able to graduate with their cohort, and may have to delay graduation up to two years (to finish with the next cohort). The granting of a leave of absence indicates a continuing relationship with the College and allows students to resume studies at a specific time without applying for readmission. Students who take a leave of absence will continue to be subject to core, elective, and graduation requirements in effect by the time their leave begins.
To apply for an official planned leave of absence for the upcoming semester, students must submit a request in writing to the College for a leave of absence prior to the beginning of the semester in which the leave is to be taken. The date of return from leave must be specified at the time of the request. Students who do not re-enroll at the College at the end of their leave of absence will be considered to have withdrawn without notice; they will be required to apply for readmission to the College and will be subject to the core, elective, and graduation requirements in effect at the time of readmission. In cases of emergencies or unforeseen circumstances, if a student requires compassionate leave, exceptions may be made to attendance requirements.
4. Grading Scales
Asia-Pacific College operates on an A-F letter grading system. Grades will be awarded on a 4.00 GPA scale where A = 4.00, B = 3.00, C = 2.00, D = 1.00, and F = 0.00. Grades modified with +/- may be given at instructor’s discretion.
5. Attendance
Participation are mandatory to receive credit for courses, but specifics will be left to the discretion of students and professors. Online courses require regular participation in accordance to the requirements of the course, as set out by the professor in the initial course syllabus.
6. Student Conduct and Termination
Student Code of Conduct
Students attending APC are expected to conduct themselves responsibly. Because APC students come from diverse cultures and backgrounds, students should be sensitive and respect the differences of other students. The following behaviors are prohibited and shall be subject to disciplinary action by the College:
1) Disruption of classroom functions;
2) Academic dishonesty; 3) Violent misconduct;
4) Sexual harassment;
5) Possession and/or use of illegal drugs, alcohol and weapons. Any violation will result in, but is not limited to, reprimand,restitution, restrictions, probation, suspension, and/or expulsion from the College.
Academic Honesty:
APC’s policy dictates that any form of academic dishonesty will result indisciplinary action and can ultimately lead to the student’s suspension and/or termination from the school. Forms of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to cheating, plagiarism, facilitating academic dishonesty, and fabrication. Any student who cheats, or hands in assignments and works for points, grades, or credit that are not his orher own will face either a warning or grade re-determination based onre-submission of work; probation; suspension; or ultimate termination from the school following the decisions of the review board. Petitions and appeals for a re-evaluation, modification or revocation of such penalties must be submitted to APC within five days of receipt of notice of incident or complaint; otherwise decisions thereafter are final.
7. Access to Records and Privacy
In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974(FERPA), students have the right to inspect and review their records, request the amendment of inaccurate or misleading records, consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in their education records, and file a complaint should the institution fail to comply. Asia-Pacific College fully protects the privacy of student records and judiciously evaluates requests for release of any information from such records. The release of records to family members or third parties will not be made available without the student’s written consent. Requests for records should be in writing to APC: Asia Pacific College
8. Graduation Requirements
To complete the Master of Arts in Intercultural Leadership degree, a student must pass 30 credit hours of course work with at least a 2.0 GPA. This includes 15 hours of Core courses and 15 hours of Elective courses. In addition, the student must conduct a fieldwork research project written upin a scholarly paper. The research and paper topic must be approved by the students’ advisor and an outside faculty member, and be presented in aculmination either in Honolulu at the end of the second spring semester, or in a live online format with video conferencing. Upon completion, students will receive a Master of Arts in Intercultural Leadership. Those graduates with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher will be recognized for their distinctions.
9. Lodging Complaints and Appeals
Any person who wishes to file a complaint against APC can do so in writing and submit it to the College, where it will be taken under review by Grievance Board, comprised of school officials and appropriate third parties.An appropriate response will be returned within thirty (30) days, depending on the nature of the complaint. Every effort will be made to resolve the complaint as quickly and confidentially as possible. All decisions made by the board are final.