Academics

Many students find an internship to be an important of their educational experience allowing them to apply what they have learned to a setting outside of the university. It also gives them a safe environment to explore various career options.

Several programs within the College of Liberal & Creative Arts offer internship experiences:

Please Note: Starting Fall 2018, all students getting academic credit for an internship must be interning at a University approved organization.  Please contact your department or internship faculty for more information.

SF State offers many courses that involve Community Service Learning (CSL) and the College of Liberal & Creative Arts offers a variety of courses each semester that include CSL experiences.  According to the bulletin: "Community Service Learning (CSL) is the combination of academic study with community service so that each is enhanced by the other." This allows "students to make connections between their classroom education and its application to the field."  One can search for such classes by entering the program offering the course and the course number and then selecting "Service Learning" in the course attribute box on the Class Schedule search.  The following courses are examples of service learning:

For more information on service learning opportunities, please contact the Institute for Civic and Community Engagement (ICCE).

Grades are used to determine academic standing. Students are encouraged to discuss their academic standing with their major advisors and advisors in the Advising Resource Center (ARC). Email achieve@sfsu.edu for an appointment.

Good Academic Standing

Undergraduates with Grade Point Averages (GPA) of 2.0 or higher are in good academic standing. For graduate students this threshold is 3.0.

Honors

Undergraduates earning a 3.25 GPA in a semester where they complete 12 or more units will be on the Dean’s list for that semester. Graduating with a GPA of 3.5 or higher as an undergraduate will lead to an honors designation by the university. Most undergraduate majors in the College of Liberal & Creative Arts are eligible to be considered for Phi Beta Kappa, a prestigious honor society, if they have a GPA of 3.7 or higher and meet other criteria.

Academic Trouble

GPAs below 2.0 for undergraduates and 3.0 for graduate students will result in academic probation, disqualification and/or dismissal for undergraduates and graduate students.

Letter Grades versus CR/NC

For some courses, students may choose whether they want to be graded on the basis of letter grades or Credit/No Credit. However, this choice must be made by a specified date; university policy states that grading options are not to be changed after that deadline except to correct instructor or administrative error. The Registrar posts a calendar of dates and deadlines.

Make up of Incomplete

When a student completes work for a course in which s/he has received an incomplete grade, the student completes the top part of Petition for Grade Change—Make Up of Incomplete and submits this form along with the course work to the instructor. Note that this form does not require action by the College.

Grade Appeals

Grades are the responsibility of faculty. Only faculty may assign and change grades. Chairs, Directors, Deans and other Administrators cannot change grades. If a student thinks his or her grade has been incorrectly recorded, s/he should follow the Academic Senate’s Policy on Grade Appeal Practices and Procedures.  We have also put together a list of Grade Appeal Guidelines for further information.

Beginning with Spring 2021 degrees, the Degree Progress Report (DPR) will be the only tool used to evaluate and award degrees. Your advisors, both in the ARC and in your major/minor, are critical in the graduation process. 

Are you on track to graduate?

Go to the registrar’s website for the steps that will help you prepare for the graduation process.

How can the ARC help you graduate?

We are here to answer questions you have about General Education (GE) requirements, issues with your DPR, and making sure you register for the GE courses you need.

What about your Major/Minor?

Meeting with an adviser in your major and/or minor is vital to completing your degree. Your major/minor program will work with you to make sure you are fulfilling the major/minor requirements. Check out your programs advising information and make an appointment with your major/minor advisor today.

What about Transfer Credits?

Check your Transfer Credit Report (TCR).  Your TCR lists your previous college-level coursework and shows how your transfer credit counts at SF State. Courses appear on this report only if SF State has received an unofficial transcript from the institution where the courses were taken.

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