Academic Policies

Academic Policies of American Heritage University of Southern California

The university’s Academic Policies and Procedures are good guidelines to help students navigate common academic tasks, such as dropping courses, withdrawing from classes, and more. Most Academic Policies are explained in the Academic Catalog, Student Handbook, and other such documents.

Policies

01

Attendance Policy

The University requires that once enrolled in a session, a student must make satisfactory progress toward completion of the session. It is the student’s responsibility to maintain contact with his or her faculty advisor. Students are expected to attend and take an active part in all online experiences. Students enrolled in any online program will have the minimum required class submission dates.

Online Classes

Online classes require students to log in at least three times per week. This includes engaging in discussions, submitting assignments, taking quizzes, contacting the assigned instructor, chat sessions, and exams. Attendance is monitored through AHUSC’s college management system, Populi.

02

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress toward earning their degree. This policy requires students to maintain both a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 for the undergraduate program and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 for the graduate program.

03

Grading Policy

Faculty is required to provide careful evaluation and feedback for every graded assignments, paper, examination, and discussions in a timely manner for each enrolled student. Where there is the absence of compelling reasons, such as mistake, fraud, deceit, bad faith, incompetence, or an act of recklessness, the instructor’s grade will be considered final. Students have the option to appeal a grade by following the grievance procedures.

Final course grades must be released in the LMS by finalizing the course no later than one week after the end of the course. Regarding late assignments, it is required that students meet all deadlines relative to discussions and assignments.

04

Academic Dismissal

A Student who is placed on academic probation will have until the end of the next subsequent class to raise their cumulative average to a C (2.0). If the student fails to raise their cumulative average to the required C (2.0) average, the student will be academically dismissed.

05

Student Code of Conduct

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a fundamental value upon which all colleges and universities are built. The ability of students, faculty, and staff to engage in candid discussions regarding academic and administrative matters is vital to initiating and sustaining free-flowing discussions and exchanges of ideas. It is this discourse that is the core of intellectual growth and development within the academic community. For the pursuit of knowledge and scholarship to thrive, academic communities cannot tolerate acts of academic misrepresentation or acts of plagiarism.

The university has five fundamental values that characterize an academic community of integrity.

  • Honesty
  • Trust
  • Fairness
  • Respect
  • Responsibility

Academic dishonesty compromises these core values and damages the ability of the University to function as a center of learning. Faculty and students must recognize and accept the responsibility to ensure academic integrity is valued and practiced on our campus.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism or academic dishonesty is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct and there are serious consequences. Students are advised to take every precaution to avoid academic dishonesty. Whenever there is a doubt, students should consult with the faculty.

Academic Honesty Procedure

Students who enroll at the University assume an obligation to conduct themselves in a manner compatible with the University’s function as an educational institution and suitable to members of an academic community. The University reserves the right to exclude at any time students whose conduct is deemed undesirable or prejudicial to the University’s best interest. 

06

Student Identity Verification Policy

Purpose and Scope

This policy applies to all distance education courses or programs offered by American Heritage University of Southern California, beginning with the application for admission and continuing through to a student’s graduation, transfer, or withdrawal from study. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that AHUSC operates in compliance with the provisions of the United States Federal Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) concerning the verification of student identity in distance education.

The HEOA requires that institutions offering distance education or correspondence courses, or programs have processes in place to ensure that the student registering for a course is the same student who participates in the course or receives course credit.  The Act requires that institutions use one of the following three methods:

  • A secure login and pass code;
  • Proctored examinations; and
  • New or other technologies and practices that are effective in verifying student identification.

Compliance

The My AHUNoteBook system is the University’s authentication and security measure to ensure that accounts are managed more securely across the LMS. All students of the university are provided a username and passcode to access My AHUNoteBook for secure access to University’s Learning Management System (LMS). New students receive their My AHUNoteBook access after completing all required admission steps.

Students are responsible for providing their complete and identity information in any identification verification process. It is against University policy for a user to give someone his or her password or to allow others to use his or her account.

The University uses Populi as its LMS. The LMS integrates with University authentication services to ensure appropriate and secure student access to courses. All users of the University’s LMS are responsible for maintaining the security of My AHUNoteBook and passwords, or any other access credentials as required. Attempting to discover another user’s password or attempts to gain unauthorized access to another person’s files or email is prohibited.

In addition, the University provides instructors access to class rosters that includes student photos associated with their name and account. The LMS also provides student photos associated with their account and this is visible in areas of the course including the discussion. Live Chat of students interacting in the course is also a feature of the LMS.  As technology and personal accountability are not absolute in determining a student’s identity, faculty members are encouraged to use these technologies and to design courses that use assignments and evaluations that support academic integrity.

American Heritage University of Southern California complies fully with the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. 1232g. This act protects the privacy of student information in distance education by requiring, with certain limited exceptions, that the student’s consent must be obtained before disclosing any personally identifiable information in the student’s education records. Additional information on FERPA and student record access can be found at: https://ahusc.net/Confidentiality-and-Privacy-.phtml

07

Grievance Policy

American Heritage University of Southern California is responsible to uphold its students’ rights and ensure that the university’s non-discrimination policy is applied for students who choose to file a grievance against the institution for reasons involving discrimination, harassment, violation of a university policy, or other.

Students must use the following procedure to file a grievance: studentsupport@ahusc.net

  1. Students should first attempt to address the issue with the responsible party in writing through the My AHU NoteBook College Management System. A copy of the communication in the messaging system.
  2. If a satisfactory solution cannot be found, the student may send an email to the Dean: dean@ahusc.net within 30 calendar days of the alleged incident.
  3. The Dean shall issue a decision within 10 business days of the grievance submission.

NOTE: If the complaint cannot be resolved after exhausting the institution’s grievance procedure, the student may file a complaint in English with the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. www.bppe.ca.gov

Filing a Complaint about our Institution

A student or any member of the public may file a complaint about this institution with the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education using any of the following options:

For more information, please visit the Bureau’s website, https://www.bppe.ca.gov/enforcement/complaint.shtml

08

Late Assignment Submission Policy

Course Late Assignment Policy

If a student submits an assignment after the due date without having made arrangements with the course instructor, a minimum number of points* will be deducted for each week** that the assignment is late.

* The instructor can determine the minimum number of points deducted for late assignments or if late assignments are accepted. The school standard is 5%.
**Each instructor has full discretion to determine how many weeks an assignment can be submitted late. The school standard is 3 weeks.

09

Withdrawal

Students who wish to withdraw from all classes during a session must notify the University in writing. Students may contact the Registrar by mail, email, or fax. A student can call the Registrar’s office for a “Withdrawal Form”. A student who stops attending classes without notifying the University will receive a grade of “FW” (failure to withdraw). A grade of “FW” is equivalent to a failing (“F”) grade and is calculated as such when determining Grade Point Averages.

Students must officially withdraw before the end of the third week of classes in order to avoid being responsible for a grade in their classes.

10

Academic Probation

A student who fails to maintain a cumulative C (2.0) average in the undergraduate program, or a cumulative B (3.0) in the graduate program will be placed on academic probation.

Upon the completion of a minimum of 12 semester hours, the student will automatically be placed on academic probation if the student’s cumulative GPA falls below the required minimum for a student in good standing status (2.0 in the undergraduate programs and 3.0 in the graduate programs). A student placed on academic probation will remain in this status for 12 credit hours or a maximum of 2 terms. Students on academic probation are limited to taking a maximum of 6 credits per term. After the 12 credits (maximum of 2 terms) on probation status, the student’s GPA is checked each term and if the GPA is below standard or there is no improvement toward the required program GPA, then the student may face academic dismissal.

Satisfactory progress is defined as a student who has raised their cumulative GPA to an acceptable level, or the student demonstrates progress toward earning an acceptable GPA during the probationary period as described below:

  1. If after completing 12 credit hours required during the probationary period, the student raises the
    cumulative GPA to 2.0 or higher for the undergraduate level or 3.0 or higher for the graduate level,
    the student’s status will be changed to Satisfactory.
  2. If the student’s GPA for the probationary period is 2.5 or higher for undergraduates or 3.5 or higher
    for graduates, but the student does not raise the cumulative GPA to the minimum 2.0 or higher for
    the undergraduate level or 3.0 or higher for the graduate level, a secondary probation period will
    begin.
  3. If the student does not raise the cumulative GPA to the Satisfactory level, or meet the GPA stated
    in item “b” above, the student will be academically dismissed (terminated).

11

Administrative Drop

Students who do not attend a class (in which they are registered) during the first week of classes may be administratively dropped from the class, unless they have made arrangements with the instructor prior to the first day of class. Students should not assume that nonattendance will automatically result in an administrative drop. To avoid financial obligation to the University, it is the responsibility of the student to verify if he or she has been dropped from the course by completing an Add/Drop form

12

Add/Drop Policy

To add or drop a class a student must submit an Add/Drop form before or by the end of the second week of the session. Drops that are officially processed prior to or by the end of the second week will not appear on the student’s transcripts. Students who wish to withdraw from a course must submit an Add/Drop form between the third and seventh week of the term. A grade of “W” will appear on the student’s transcripts indicating the withdrawal. Students cannot drop a course beyond the third week of the session. It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a course. Failure to attend a course does not constitute a withdrawal from a course. Students who stop attending courses without notifying the Registrar will receive an “FW” (failure to withdraw). A grade of “FW” is calculated as 0.00 in the student’s Grade Point Average.

13

Academic Freedom Policy

AHUSC is committed to assuring full academic freedom to faculty members. Confident in the qualifications and expertise of its faculty members, the college encourages its faculty members to exercise their individual judgments regarding the content of the assigned courses, organization of topics and instructional methods, providing only that these judgments are made within the context of the course descriptions as currently published, and providing that the instructional methods are those officially sanctioned by the institution, methods for which the institution has received oversight approval.

American Heritage University of Southern California encourages instructors and students to engage in discussion and dialog. Students and faculty members alike are encouraged to freely express views, however controversial, as long as they believe it would advance understanding in their specialized discipline or sub-disciplines.

14

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a fundamental value upon which all colleges and universities are built. The ability of students, faculty and staff to engage in candid discussions regarding academic and administrative matters is vital to initiating and sustaining free-flowing discussion and exchange of ideas. It is this discourse that is the core of intellectual growth and development within the academic community. For the pursuit of knowledge and scholarship to thrive, academic communities cannot tolerate acts of academic misrepresentation or acts of plagiarism.

According to the Center for Academic Integrity there are five fundamental values that characterize an academic community of integrity:

  • Honesty
  • Trust
  • Fairness
  • Respect
  • Responsibility

 

Academic dishonesty compromises these core values and damages the ability of the University to function as a center of learning. Faculty and students must recognize and accept the responsibility to ensure academic integrity is valued and practiced on our campus.

15

Re-Enrollment/Reinstatement

Students who fail to file a Request for Leave of Absence and wish to return to the University must submit an Official Request for Re-enrollment. These students will be held to the catalog requirements in effect at the time of their re-enrollment. Furthermore, departmental approval may be required for students to pursue other majors. Students seeking re-enrollment after a two-year (2) absence from the University (whether or not a leave of absence form was submitted) are required to submit a full application for re-admission and must meet all current academic entrance requirements. Approval of leave does not alter the seven-year (7) period for completion of all graduate degree requirements.

16

Failed Course

If a student does not receive a final grade of sixty (60) or above, that student has effectively failed the class will not receive credit. The student must repeat the course and pay full tuition for the repeated course. Upon successful completion of the repeated course, the student’s transcript will contain both the original and repeated course grade. Both grades will be reflected in the student’s overall GPA.

17

Credit Hour Definition

Defining credit for educational purposes must specify an amount of time to quantify reasonably a course’s workload. The responsibility for such determinations rests with faculty, curriculum committees, and institutional administrators as guided by Regional Accrediting agencies and the United States Department of Education’s “Program Integrity Issues,” 34 CFR § 600.2, October 2010.

  1. American Heritage University of Southern California (AHUSC) adheres to the Federal definition, which states that an hour of academic credit is, “an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than—One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
  2. At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours” (34 CFR § 600.2).

AHUSC defines an Academic Year as 48 weeks in length separated into three, 16-week trimesters. Two online 8 week sessions are included in each trimester.

AHUSC Credit Hour Equivalencies

The institutionally established equivalencies to the Federal definition of the credit hour at AHUSC are explained in the bulleted list and represented in a chart below. These standards apply to both undergraduate and graduate courses.

  • On-ground Courses: Courses are condensed into eight weeks in length and offered within one of two, eight-week sessions during a trimester, one online credit hour provides two hours of direct instruction and four hours of indirect instruction per week over eight weeks, totaling 48 hours of student time. The mathematical formula for calculating one semester credit hour is that a credit hour equals two hours of direct instruction plus four hours of outside-of-class work over 8 weeks totaling 48 hours of student time.
  • Online Course: Online courses are condensed into eight weeks in length and offered within one of two, eight-week sessions during a trimester, one online credit hour provides two hours of direct instruction and four hours of indirect instruction per week over eight weeks, totaling 48 hours of student time.
  • The formula used to calculate a semester hour of credit for a transfer student bringing to AHUSC credit earned in a quarter-based system, or for a “transitioning” AHUSC student, is that a trimester credit hour earned equals the quarter credit hours multiplied by 0.66667 to produce the student’s equivalent trimester hour credit. For example, when computing equivalencies for a common course like BB 300 Introduction to Management, AHUSC will use the formula of multiplying 4-credit hours earned in a quarter-system course by 0.66667 equaling 2.6667 credit hours in a semester-system. AHUSC will round credit hour calculations to the nearest whole number (e. g. 2.6667 to 3.0 or 1.3334 to 1.0). *

18

Program Completion

The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) takes approximately 2.5 years to complete* and requires a minimum of 60 units. Cost per Unit: $150.00

ItemCost FrequencyPolicyPaid to
Total Tuition$9000.00Per ProgramTuitionAHUSC
Registration Fee$100.00* x 2AnnuallyNon-RefundableAHUSC
Application Fee$50.00*One-timeNon-RefundableAHUSC
Student Technology Fee$180.00*^ x 2AnnuallyRefundable*^AHUSC
Textbooks (Cengage Unlimited)$180.00** x 2AnnuallyNon-RefundableCengage
Capstone Materials$70.00***One-timeNon-RefundableCapsim
Capstone Exam$15.00***One-timeNon-RefundableCapsim
Proctor Fee$12.99^ x 2One-timeNon-RefundablePSI
Graduation Fee$250.00One-timeNon-RefundableAHUSC
Estimated Total Charges for the Program:$10,319.07

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) takes approximately 1.7 years* to complete and requires a minimum of 39 units. Cost per Unit: $250.00

ItemCost FrequencyPolicyPaid to
Total Tuition$9750.00Per ProgramTuitionAHUSC
Registration Fee$100.00* x 2AnnuallyNon-RefundableAHUSC
Application Fee$50.00*One-timeNon-RefundableAHUSC
Student Technology Fee$180.00*^ x 2AnnuallyRefundable*^AHUSC
Textbooks (Cengage Unlimited)$180.00** x 2AnnuallyNon-RefundableCengage
Capstone Materials$70.00***One-timeNon-RefundableCapsim
Capstone Exam$15.00***One-timeNon-RefundableCapsim
Proctor Fee$12.99^ x 2One-timeNon-RefundablePSI
Graduation Fee$250.00One-timeNon-RefundableAHUSC
Estimated Total Charges for the Program:$11,069.07

 

*Students, under approval from the Dean, can take two classes at a time to reduce the amount of time needed to complete the program

** Estimated cost includes application fees, registration fees, student technology fees, textbooks, capstone materials, capstone exam, proctor fees, and graduation fees. All fees are subject to change with notice. Estimated cost does not include other optional and situation fees.

*** Applies only to MBA degree program. This fee is paid directly to the provider (Capsim).

^This fee is paid twice during the course of the program. It is paid directly to PSI Online Proctoring. Visit PSI Online Proctoring for more information.

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