Study Plan

The study plan – a detailed plan of courses to be completed for the degree – should be developed by the student, in consultation with the faculty academic advisor, at the end of the first semester at Fisk or as soon as a major has been selected. The purpose of the study plan is to ensure that, early in the student's career at Fisk, a coherent sequence of academic experiences has been developed, to lead to graduation with the appropriate requirements of the CORE Curriculum, major and elective courses. Changes should be made in consultation with the faculty academic advisor. During the second semester of the junior year, the student should arrange for a formal review by the faculty academic advisor of the study plan, as revised, up to that point. This review provides the student the best opportunity to ensure that all requirements can be met in time for scheduled graduation. It is essential that this review be conducted. Since the faculty academic advisor's informal approval of the study plan does not constitute a contract obligating the University to confer a degree, it remains at all times the student's responsibility to see that all applicable requirements are met. In order to avoid errors, the student is advised to keep a complete record of all college work, showing courses completed, courses in progress, and courses remaining to be taken.

Selection of courses is the student's responsibility. Students need to be familiar with all academic requirements set forth in this Bulletin, in order to assure that the courses they select are appropriate for the program of study they have chosen to pursue. In particular, undergraduate students should be sure to meet all University CORE Curriculum requirements; the foreign language requirement; all requirements for the student's chosen field(s) of concentration; and the requirement for a minimum of 120 credits (more in some major fields) for the undergraduate degree. The University's undergraduate degree requirements are summarized within this Bulletin, with requirements specific to each major specified in the appropriate section of this Bulletin. Graduate degree programs courses and requirements are enumerated in the Graduate Studies Bulletin.

Students should also be sure that their courses are planned in appropriate sequence, with needed prerequisite courses completed prior to enrollment for more advanced study.

Courses appropriate for freshmen include selected CORE Curriculum courses and any course listed in this Bulletin with a catalog number in the 100 to 199 range.

Occasionally, with the permission of the Instructor, freshmen may be permitted to enroll in courses numbered in the 200 to 299 range. In general, however, entering students concentrate their studies in the CORE Curriculum, which extends across a three-year period. For students who enter with their intended major already selected, the program plan for the discipline of major study, as printed in this Bulletin, provides a suggested sequence of study.

Courses for new transfer students in their first year at Fisk usually need to be individually prescribed, since transfer students vary widely in the extent and content of college study previously completed. The Registrar, in consultation with the Office of the Provost and with appropriate faculty members, analyzes the transcripts of incoming transfer students to determine in each case which Fisk requirements have already been met through equivalent study at other institutions. A report of this analysis is provided to the incoming student's faculty academic advisor and becomes a basis for development of the first semester's class schedule and a plan for subsequent study.

The sequence of courses taken is determined by the prerequisites listed in the course description and by the level of the course as indicated by the course number. Course instructors may waive prerequisites with appropriate approval at the time of registration. Students are given latitude in selecting course offerings, as long as prerequisites and other criteria for course admission are met. In certain cases, where the course is in the major field of study or a cognate course for the major, approval of the department chair may also be required. Graduate courses may be open to advanced undergraduate students with the approval of the Instructor.

Fisk University will offer, through articulation agreements, the opportunity for deserving students from two-year community colleges to obtain a bachelor’s degree in their chosen field of interest at Fisk. It is expected that assistance will be offered throughout the transfer process. Interested students are encouraged to contact the Office of Admission, the Office of the Registrar or the Office of the Provost for more information on the two-year/Fisk transfer process.