Course Structure

Students who receive veteran’s benefits or Pell Grants must take a minimum of 12 credits each semester to receive their maximum award. Full-time status for Minnesota State Grant eligibility is 15 credits.

Students are encouraged to work in order to meet their financial needs and commitments. North Central also desires to assist students in anticipating the demands that they will be experiencing in college life. Therefore, to maximize the probability that all students will succeed in their college courses, the following employment workloads have been suggested based upon the number of credits taken:

Number of Credits Per Semester Maximum Number of Hours Per Week

9-12 13-16 17-18 Student Teaching (education majors) 20-29 15-24 10-19 0

COURSE NUMBERING SYSTEM

Class listings in this catalog give all the information needed for completing the registration forms. The course descriptions give the full title and course number.

Significance of the course numbers:

100-199 Freshman-level courses

200-299 300-399

Sophomore-level courses Junior-level courses 400-499 Senior-level courses 500-higher Graduate-level courses

COURSE CODE DESIGNATIONS

ALAN Ancient Languages APST Applied Studies ARCH Archeology BIBL Biblical Literature and Interpretation BIOL Biology BUS Business CDS Carlstrom ASL-Interpreting CHEM Chemistry

COMM Communication Arts CSCI Computer Science CT Critical Thought ECON Economics EDUC Education ELED Elementary Education ENG English/Literature FA Fine Arts GBA Graduate Business Administration GBS Global Studies GBT Graduate Bible & Theology GCL Graduate Church Leadership GS General Studies GEOG Geography GLE Graduate: Strategic Leadership GOVT Government GWL Graduate Worship Arts Leadership HLTH Health HIST History HULE Humanitarian Leadership GBS Global Studies MATH Mathematics MLAN Modern Languages MUS Music PE Physical Education PHYS Physics PMIN Pastoral Ministry PSYC Psychology SCI Science SM Sports Management SWK Social Work TEFL Teaching English as a Foreign Language THEO Theology THTR Theatre URBN Urban Studies WTHE Worldview Theology YDEV Youth Development

INTERNSHIPS

An internship is a requirement for graduation for most majors and may be involved in the curriculum of all majors. The internship is usually done on a full-time basis during the student’s junior or senior years. Many students are able to take their internship during the summer before their senior year.

Students pursuing a double major must fulfill the internship requirements for each major. While this may be accomplished through one internship experience, this is only possible with the permission of the Department Director of both majors. If permission is granted, a Course Requirement Variance Petition must be submitted to the Registrar's Office for final approval and, if granted, recorded on the Degree Audit Sheet. If either Department Director is not in agreement that one internship experience will fulfill the educational objectives of each of the majors, then the student will need to register for and complete one internship per major.

TEACHING ASSISTANTS

To promote interest in post-secondary academic teaching ministry, select students who demonstrate excellence within the college academic environment are provided the opportunity for involvement as a teaching assistant under the following guidelines: 1. With the approval of the department director, students in good academic standing (2.0 cum GPA) with at least 60 credits (HG) toward graduation may have the option of registering for a course as a Teaching Assistant. 2. Students may take GS-460 as a Teaching Assistant as often as they would like. This 0 credit course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. 3. Students may petition to register as a Teaching Assistant for a maximum of 1-2 credits (GS461) once during their time at NCU. They will pay tuition for those credits, and earn a letter grade. 3. Any credits earned will be applied only toward General Electives. These credits may not be used to meet a degree requirement in either the General Education or the Major Core. 4. Students registering as a Teaching Assistant must complete FERPA training. If they have not previously completed this training, students will be administratively enrolled in GS-220 FERPA Training for 0 credits. Any student who fails to earn a passing grade in GS-220 prior to the last day to add classes for the semester will be not be allowed to register for GS-460 or GS-461.

SENIOR PROJECTS

A Senior Project is a requirement for most majors, but the type of project differs. For example, for music majors, it is a recital, education students complete their student teaching, and psychology students do a research paper which has an oral defense. Many majors require synthesizing papers, and those majors with a global focus emphasize particular countries.

This challenging capstone course is a wonderful opportunity to utilize the many skills students have gained during their college career to produce a culminating project.