by Julia Carachure
Staff Writer
Students at the University of La Verne always have the option of taking their classes for a letter grade. On the other hand, there is always the option of taking classes for credit or no credit.
The credit/no credit option originated 1974, when it was called honor credit/no credit. That same year, letter grades were introduced and the credit or no credit option was kept.
In 1987, the University added the plus and minus signs to the letter grades and the credit/no credit option remained.
Traditional undergraduates can take the credit/no credit option up to four semester hours each semester. Students may not take the credit option for a class that is required for their chosen major.
“The credit or no credit turned into a pass/fail grading. It leaves the students to experiment [with classes],” said Marilyn Davies, Registrar.
By choosing the credit/no credit option, a student’s grade point average is not affected since it is not included in their overall GPA.
Davies said the credit/no credit option is a beneficial alternative for students who are trying to maintain their GPA.
Although the option of taking credit/no credit may be a good alternative for students to have, it can also work against the student.
In order to get credit for a course, students need to receive a grade of C- or better. If the student receives a D+ or lower the student will not receive credit for the course.
Another disadvantage of using the credit/no credit option arises when a student has to decide what major he or she wants to go into.
The student may find that a class he or she took for credit /no credit applies to the major of his or her choice. Since the student took the class for credit only, it does not count for his or her major.
Freshman Nathan Baca chose the credit/no credit option for a music appreciation class he took over January interterm.
Baca said he opted for the credit option because “I’ve never taken anything like it before. And I wasn’t sure about it and I didn’t want to take the risk [of possibly getting a low grade].”
However, there are classes at the University that are designed specifically for credit/no credit only, such as Introduction to Chemistry lab, Service Learning, Communication Skills, University 100, Mathematics Workshop and Intermediate Algebra.
Students are prohibited from taking more than 32 semester hours of credit/no credit courses while in pursuit of their degree.
“Students can work with their counselors and choose their options and know when the deadline is [for credit/no credit],” Davies said. “They don’t mark it [the credit or no credit option] and they need to be aware of it.”
“At this level, it’s important. Transcripts follow you into jobs and getting promotions,” said Davies. “Select carefully, faculty are willing to talk to you.”
