Undergraduate Admission and Academic Policies

Undergraduate Admission and Academic Policy 

Students are expected to fulfill DSU's undergraduate admission requirements as outlined in the admission application booklet. Admission requirements are provided in the DSU Undergraduate Catalog published online and available by visiting the DSU Website  (http://www.desu.edu/admissions/admissions-information-requirements). However, a minimum GPA of  2.000 and a minimum composite ACT score of 17 are required for acceptance into all undergraduate programs in the Department of Human Ecology. In compliance with the univeristy's guidelines, students accepted into the department must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.000 to remain in good academic standing. Students are also required to earn a “C” grade or better in all courses that are designated as major core courses to fulfill a baccalaureate requirement.  In addition, students are only allowed to earn one “D” grade in all courses that are designated as support courses.

Students pursuing the Food and Nutritional Science program, and choosing the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) option, must achieve and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 to be in good academic standing, and to receive a Verification Statement and a better opportunity for acceptance into a Dietetic Internship Practice program. Students are also required to earn a “C” grade or better in all courses that are designated as major core courses to fulfill a baccalaureate requirement.  

Semester Course Registration: The Department’s policy is that students must meet with their academic Advisor or Department Chair for course selection and registration. Students cannot obtain an Alternate PIN prior to advisement. An Alternate PIN can only be issued to a student by an academic Advisor or Department Chairperson.

Add/Drop monitoring: The Department encourages students to make use of all academic support services on campus in order to avoid the need to a course during a semester. If a student decides to drop a course due to factors above his/her control, the student will be asked to complete an Add/Drop slip, obtain advisor’s signature and course instructor’s signature prior to the last day to add or drop courses. After the Add/Drop period, student must obtain the signature of the Department Chair and the Dean of the College prior to dropping a course.

ACADEMIC PROBATION 

Delaware State University has established an Early Warning System to identify students who may have academic difficulty throughout the duration of their study at DSU. In addition, the university has developed intervention programs and resources such as the Advisement Center and tutorial services to help students resolve academic difficulties so that they can succeed. Students who are placed on Academic Probation are required to register for the three credit-hour course, “Learning Strategies for Academic Success” during the semester in which the student is on probation. Students on Academic Probation are not allowed to register for more than 13 credit hours during the semester in which they are on probation.  In addition, students on Academic Probation are required to make use of all support services on campus until they have shown significant improvement.

EXPECTED CONDUCT

The Department expects students to read and be familiar with the Student Conduct Code that is found in the DSU Undergraduate Catalog. The Catalog outlines students' rights, responsibilities and expectations. Students are expected to remain honest in academic endeavors (not cheating, or knowingly or willingly falsifying data, not plagiarizing) and avoid social misconduct. Academic dishonesty may result in a failing grade for the assigned work or a failing grade for the course.

Students enrolled in the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) should also become familiar with the Code of Ethics for the Profession of Dietetics. All members of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and Registered Dietitians, are bound to abide by this code of ethics. Students should expect to follow the Code while in their Didactic Programs as well as during dietetic internships. For more information about this program, visit: http://www.desu.edu/human-ecology-degree-programs.

COMPLAINT PROCESS

The Department expects students to abide by and respect the DSU grievance procedures. DSU has grievance procedures that are outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog.  The process for resolution of grievances about academic problems begins first with speaking with the faculty member or instructor involved. If the difficulty is not resolved, the student may meet with the Department Chair without the faculty member. If a satisfactory resolution does not occur after a meeting with the Department Chair, the student may take the grievance to the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Related Sciences, and if necessary, to the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost.

Students enrolled in the Didactic Program in Dietetics are also expected to become familiar with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics complaint procedure and policy. Any individual, for example, student, faculty, dietetics practitioner and/or member of the public, may submit a complaint against any accredited program to the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND, formerly the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education).  A copy of the accreditation/approval standards and/or CADE's policy and procedure for submission of complaints about programs is available at http://www.eatright.org/ACEND/ and may be obtained by contacting the Education and Accreditation Team at The Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics at 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606-6995.