ACADEMIC POLICY
Credit System at Khazar University
At Khazar University students must study and pass a number of courses
to obtain a degree: for example a minimum of 40 courses are required
for the degree of Bachelor. Each course is worth a number of credits
and most courses at Khazar are worth at least three credits. Credits
are only awarded after the course has been successfully completed.
Credits are sometimes referred to by other names, for example "credit
hours" or "units" and in some cases the credit hours
are close to the number of academic hours spent in class each week.
In other cases, for example, in laboratory classes one credit hour
is equal to 80 or 90 minutes spent in class each week. In general,
credit hours reflect the contact hours and workload of a course.
The four-year Bachelor's degree at Khazar University requires the
successful completion of between 128 and 140 credits and a minimum
of 40 undergraduate level semester courses depending on the individual
School and the major, that is, in a chosen field of study.
Candidates for the Masters degree with a Bachelor's must take between
32 and 60 credits, involving a minimum of 7 graduate-accredited
courses, sometimes, including a thesis beyond the Bachelor's.
The candidate with a Masters Degree admitted to the Ph.D. program
is required to take at least additional 7 courses (32-60 credits)
including a dissertation although more credits and courses may be
required to satisfy the particular aims of the student and the student's
advisor.
Students may earn credits mainly during the Fall and Spring semesters,
and register for at most 19 credits per semester. Full-time student
is required to take at least 12 credits per semester, otherwise,
s/he will be classified as a Part-time student. Courses taken for
the Summer Session and few courses from the Khazar Extension Program
may qualify for credits with the approval of the Department and
Dean. During the Summer sessions a student may register for at most
10 credits.
In some cases, credits can be earned through good performance in
placement examinations administered by Khazar University's academic
departments.
Credit accumulation model is student-centered system based on prioritization
of individual study trajectories of each student. In accordance
with the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), one Khazar University
credit equals two European Credits. ECTS is one of the key objectives
of 1999 Bologna Declaration, which aimed at the creation of a common
European Higher Education Area, and Azerbaijan joined the process
in Spring 2005.
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Grading Policies at Khazar University
For undergraduate programs courses are graded as follows (in percentages
on examinations and with an equivalence to letter grades):
-
"90-100" percent which is equal to "A" (excellent)
-
"80-89" percent which is equal to "B" (good)
-
"70-79" percent which is equal to "C" (average
or satisfactory)
-
"60-69" percent which is equal to "D" (low
pass or below average)
-
"0-59" percent which is equal to "F" (failure,
i.e. no credit will be recorded for the course)
-
"IC" (Incomplete). This grade applies only to those
students who were unable to complete their coursework due to sickness
or another emergency situation or who have accumulated 57-59 percent.
In this case, with the permission of the dean of relevant school,
students are given additional time to complete their coursework
and re-sit the exam upon their own wish, but must make a partial
payment for that course. In case of their second failure in the
exam, their grade is changed to "F")
-
"IP" (In Progress). A course that extends to two or
more semesters is graded with "IP" until the specified
period for its completion has expired. The grade is changed to
"IC" if the requirements for the course are not fulfilled
during the specified period.
Every undergraduate student is expected to maintain an average
percentage of 70 or more to remain in good academic standing. Graduate
students are correspondingly expected to maintain a percentage of
75 or more for Master's and Professional degree programs and 80
or more for Ph.D. degree programs to remain in a good academic standing.
For Master's and professional degree programs the letter grade
D+, namely, "65-69", is for low pass and "0-64"
percent is equal to F in this case. Ph.D. degree programs does not
permit low pass grades, that is 0-69 is equal to F, i.e. no credit
will be recorded for the course.
The assignment of a grade for a student's work in a course is primarily
the prerogative of the instructor. Students, who by the end of the
Spring semester still require a few credits to complete degree requirements,
may be able to satisfy the deficiency during the subsequent summer
session.
A student's grade-point average (G.P.A.) is obtained by dividing
the total number of grade points (arrived at by multiplying the
grade point for each course by the credit hours of the course and
adding all) by the total number of credit hours of enrollment.
Example:
A student receives the following grades:
Mathematics (a 4-credit hours) - 82
English (a 3-credit hours) - 95
Then,
G.P.A. = (4 · 82 + 3 · 95) : 7 = 87.57
G.P.A. = 88
The G.P.A. is rounded up to the nearest whole number. Undergraduate
students must retake a course or its equivalent, in which a grade
of "F" (less than 60) was received. If the student's grade
is "IC", s/he must either re-sit the exam (upon his/her
own wish) or re-take the course. Correspondingly, students in Master's
and professional degree programs must retake a course in which grade
of less than 65 was received. Similarly for Ph.D. students a course
with grade of less than 70 must be retaken. A course graded with
"F" or "IC" or "IP" will not be considered
while calculating student's G.P.A. However in the case of "F"
and "IC", a student must retake and pass this course;
in the case of "IP", a student must pass the course before
the specified period of time. To improve his/her grade-point average
undergraduate student may repeat only those courses, in which he/she
receives grade of "D" (a grade 60-69). A student may not
retake a course, in which a grade of "C", "B"
or "A" was received (a grade is greater than or equal
to 70). Only courses taken at Khazar University are considered for
changing the course grade. It is the student's responsibility to
bring any error in grades to the attention of the instructor and
any error in G.P.A. to the attention of the Dean of the School or
the Registration and Records Office.
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Classification of Undergraduate Students:
Class Standing
In a bachelor degree program students are classified according to
the number of credits earned. The classification is shown in the
table below:
-
Freshman: a student who has earned less than 1/4 of total
credits required to complete the program. E.g. In a 128 (132)
credit bachelor program, it is a student who has earned less than
32 (33) credits.
-
Sophomore: a student who has earned less than 1/2 but
more than or equal to 1/4 of total credits required to complete
the program. E.g. In a 128 (132) credit bachelor program, it is
a student who has earned 32 (33) or more, but less than 64 (66)
credits.
-
Junior: a student who has earned less than 3/4 but more
than or equal to 1/2 of total credits required to complete the
program. E.g. In a 128 (132) credit bachelor program, it is a
student who has earned 64 (66) or more, but less than 96 (99)
credits.
-
Senior: a student who has earned 3/4 or more of total
credits required to complete the program. E.g. In a 128 (132)
credit bachelor program, it is a student who has earned 96 (99)
or more credits.
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Classification of Courses
The Khazar course numbering system is based on a set of abbreviations
for the academic disciplines, and three-digit course number. Most
courses at Khazar University are numbered according to the following
plan:
-
Primarily for pre-freshman courses 001 - 099
-
For freshmen and sophomore undergraduate courses 100 - 199 and
200-299
-
For advanced undergraduate and some graduate courses 300 - 399
and 400-499
-
For Graduate Courses 500 and higher
(Please note that these are general guidelines and individual
Schools, such as the School of Economics and Management as well
as the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Public Health may have
their specific course numbering)
Most of the advanced individual study and research courses are
also numbered 500 or higher. With departmental and school consent,
undergraduate students may enroll in 500- series courses for credit
toward the bachelor's degree. With the approval of the major department,
graduate students may take some courses numbered 300 or higher toward
satisfying Master's or Doctor's degree requirements with additional
course works, projects or independent study. Courses numbered 100-199
and 200-299 may not be applied toward graduate degrees. Courses
are open to all students who have met the prerequisites indicated
in departmental requirements or the course description.
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Academic Requirements
The Khazar University curriculum for the Bachelor's degree has
three components. Students will complete three basic areas, which
apply to all programs:
University Requirements (UR)
An Academic Core, or General Education Requirements (GER)
Major and major-related program requirements (MR)
Students must fulfill all the requirements of each of the three
areas to be eligible for graduation.
University Requirements (UR)
Khazar has two University- wide requirements, which must be satisfied
for the awarding of the Bachelor's degree. Students will complete
the following UR courses of 27 credits:
Advanced English includes 15 semester credits of:
-
Reading/Listening 1 (3 credits)
-
Writing/Speaking 1 (3 credits)
-
Reading/Listening 2 (3 credits)
-
Writing/Speaking 2 (3 credits)
-
English for Special Purposes (3 credits)
The English courses must be completed during the first two years
and it is recommended that they are concluded within three semesters
of study at Khazar. Students, who perform exceptionally well in
an appropriate placement test, may be permitted to take more advanced
courses in English.
Azerbaijani Studies includes 12 semester credits of:
-
Azerbaijani (Azeri) Language and Composition (3 credits)
-
Azerbaijani Literature (3 credits)
-
Azerbaijani Culture (3 credits)
-
History of Azerbaijan (3 credits)
The Azerbaijani Studies component includes a one-year sequential
course (6 credits: 3+3) in Azerbaijani Language and Azerbaijani
Literature (AZLL). Students must demonstrate competence in writing,
reading and speaking. AZLL should be completed preferably during
the first year of study at Khazar. If a student's native language
is not Azerbaijani, for the beginning, he/she is required to take
Elementary Azerbaijani Language and Composition course especially
designed for international students.
Students are placed in the appropriate English and AZLL courses
based on the results of admission or placement tests.
Azerbaijani Culture is an elective course and student may choose
available theoretical courses on Azerbaijani Culture or practice
through attending cultural activities conducted by the Department
of Music and Fine Arts (e.g. dance ensemble, chorus, folk music,
vocal, national costume design, carpet making, etc.) and earn credits.
Azerbaijani History focuses of the main periods of the history
of Azerbaijan from Ancient to modern times.
General Education Requirements (GER)
The purpose of the GER is to give students an understanding of
the multiple realities of a culturally diverse and increasingly
complex world from the viewpoint of different areas of human knowledge.
The GER consists of areas of knowledge, mainly other than the student's
own major field. The GER helps students to become an educated member
of the society and to develop intellectual breath and cultural well-being.
Regardless of their major, students must meet the GER in the Freshman
and Sophomore years. Students must complete three components of
the General Education Program for 21 credits:
The Humanities courses division of the program includes particular
courses in Literature, Language and Linguistics, Philosophy, History,
Culture and Civilization, Fine Arts and Art History. Students must
take at least two courses with a minimum of 6 credits.
The Social Sciences group contains courses in Geography, Political
Science, International Relations, Law and Government, Anthropology,
Economics, Sociology and Psychology. Students must take at least
two courses with a minimum of 6 credits.
Science and Technology component of the General Education Program
unites three divisions:
and contains, for example Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics,
Chemistry, Astronomy, Geography and Environmental Studies, Geology,
Biological Sciences and Anthropology, Public Health, Medical Science.
Students must complete at least three courses, at least one from
each subgroup minimum of 9 credits.
Some of the fields of study may be included in different divisions
according to the content of courses or applied methods. For example,
courses in Anthropology, Geography and Psychology are related with
the Social Sciences division, but, at the same time, some courses
in these areas may concern themselves also with Natural Sciences.
A student, majoring in one of the GER divisions (Humanities, Social
Sciences, Science and Technology) may take one major course in a
corresponding division to meet GER. Courses required to satisfy
the Major Requirements may not be used to complete the required
21 credits for GER, except for the above mentioned one course on
Major. The individual Schools and Departments of Khazar University
outline the numbered academic disciplines from which students may
select courses to fulfill their General Education program.
Some degree programs require additional work in the three areas
mentioned above, or require the student to take specific courses
to fulfill the GER.
Apart from these, students can take two Open Elective courses -
additional courses chosen freely from any division of the curricula
without any restriction. The credit value of open electives must
be at least 6 credits.
Major Requirements (MR)
At Khazar University students can select from a variety of majors
in the fields of: Engineering and Applied Sciences, Law and Social
Sciences, Economics and Management, Humanities, Education and Medicine.
Majors consist of courses focused on a particular academic field.
Undergraduate students must earn at least a 70 G.P.A. in their Major
Course Requirements. Most majors require course sequences starting
in the freshman year.
Master's and professional degree programs require at least a 75
G.P.A., and Ph.D. degree programs require at least 80 G.P.A. in
their Major Course Requirements. In all graduate programs at Khazar
University, research is strongly emphasized.
Khazar University majors, areas of concentration, minors, and interdepartmental
programs are designed to enable every student to study at least
one field in depth.
This Catalog provides a list of academic departments, schools,
research centers and institutes responsible for the Major Programs
available at Khazar.
Degree Requirements
Degree Award Ceremonies
The degrees earned at Khazar University are awarded at the end of
the Fall and Spring semesters, and Summer session. Diplomas are
available one or two months after the degree award date. All the
degree requirements must be completed before the student may participate
in a degree recognition ceremony (an academic festive ceremony for
graduates), usually held twice a year - in second parts of September
and March. Students must file an application for a degree available
at the Registration and Records Office.
Those, who complete their degree requirements during one of the
semesters or summer session, must register for the next ceremony
scheduled. In such a case no tuition is charged.
Bachelor's Degrees
Candidates for a Bachelor's Degree must satisfy the requirements
listed below and any additional requirements set by the departments
and/or schools. The general requirements are that a student:
-
earns between 128 and 140 credits with a minimum of 40 semester
courses depending on the Major and School;
-
earns a cumulative grade-point average of at least "70"
in all courses undertaken at Khazar;
-
completes the University Requirements by earning at least 27
credits;
-
completes the General Education Requirements by earning at least
21 credits. Students must earn at least 6 credits from both of
the Humanities and Social Sciences Groups and a minimum of 9 credits
from Science and Technology including at least 3 credits from
each of Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Computer Sciences and
Life Sciences;
-
completes the Major Requirements with G.P.A. 70 or above.
Master's Degrees
A candidate for the Master's degree is required to have an advisor
from the department of the major field.
The general requirements for the Master's degree candidates with
a Bachelor's are as follows:
-
students should take between 32 and 60 credits with a minimum
of 7 graduate-accredited semester courses beyond the Bachelor's
-
students should earn a cumulative grade-point average of at
least 75 in all courses undertaken at Khazar
-
students should complete the Major Requirements with G.P.A.
75 or above
-
a thesis may be required, as determined by the department or
School of major study
In some Master's degree programs a student may earn credits (no
more than 6 credits) by teaching undergraduate courses. Taught courses
are to be related to the student's major field.
The examining committee is usually composed of four members.
Ph.D. Degree
A candidate for the Ph.D. degree is required to have an advisor
from the department of the major field.
The candidate with a Master Degree admitted to the Ph.D. program
is required to take at least an additional 7 courses (32 to 60 credits)
including a dissertation although more credits and courses may be
required to satisfy the particular aims of the student and the student's
advisor. A student should complete the Major Requirements with G.P.A.
80 or above. Some Ph.D. majors allow a student to earn no more than
6 credits by teaching appropriate courses.
Upon the satisfactory completion of the course-work and the qualifying
examination, a student selects a dissertation topic. Candidates
shall demonstrate their abilities for independent study in their
dissertations performing the original research.
Students shall present themselves at the final oral examination,
in which they must defend their dissertations - define contributions
to the knowledge in their fields and demonstrate the mastery in
their areas of specialization.
The examining committee is composed of at least five members.
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Combination Undergraduate - Graduate and Joint
Degree Programs
Khazar University offers several Combination Undergraduate - Graduate
Programs or Joint Degree Programs, such as, Bachelor/Master and
Master/PhD programs. The students can also study for double major
awards.
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Combination Bachelor/Master and Master/PhD Programs
Some undergraduate majors allow the students to enter into joint
BS/MS, BA/MA and/or BS/MA and BA/MS degree programs. An undergraduate
student attending Master's degree courses or taking part in a research
project is considered to be undergraduate student until he/she completes
his/her Bachelor's degree requirement. To complete his/her BS/BA
degree requirements a senior undergraduate student may take appropriate
graduate level courses with the permission of the relevant department
and School.
Students holding Bachelor or professional degree(s), and with high
standing may apply for joint Master/PhD program. Within the framework
of this program, the main goal is to complete the PhD degree requirements.
However, as the first stage in their studies, students must meet
Master degree requirements.
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Second Undergraduate Degrees
Two undergraduate degrees may be conferred if a student satisfies
both major and major-related requirements within two departments
or schools. If the double major is pursued in two schools, the student
must designate when declaring the two majors which school he or
she will be registered in and will graduate from. In order to be
eligible for the second bachelor's degree, the student must apply
for admission to the second degree program not earlier than the
end of second year and not later than the end of third year. Exceptional
cases may be considered for the approval of the relevant School
and/or department. Upon completion of all requirements for the first
program and the award of the first degree, the student's status
will be changed to the second program. The student must again apply
for graduation to be granted the second degree.
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Acceleration of Study
Acceleration is made possible by different options:
-
participation in the summer sessions
-
taking extra courses during the academic year with the approval
of the Dean of School
-
earning a credit by passing the Advanced Placement Test
Khazar may also grant credit by examination with the fee to a student
for his/her previous experience, or a previously learned course
which is equivalent to a specific course offered by the school.
Credit by examination may be granted only for a course listed in
the Khazar University Catalog or its equivalent and only to a student,
who has good standing.
Senior students in their final semester or summer session may enroll
on a graduate course and reserve that course for a credit toward
a graduate degree with the approval of the Dean of the student's
undergraduate school and the student's graduate adviser in the proposed
graduate major area.
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Honors Programs
Khazar Honors Programs offer special honors options to qualified
students. Honors work is offered at all levels and in all departments.
Honors courses have limited enrollment and are reserved for the
most successful and motivated students.
The programs are characterized by holding small seminars, individual
attention from faculty, extra access to the resources together with
participation in university and community research and general meetings.
Early honors work gives students a broad base of knowledge, skills,
and understanding, which serves as a foundation for increasingly
specialized upper-level honors work.
The Honors Programs require successful fulfillment of all the types
of requirements (UR, GER, and MR) with honors options added with
the advanced honors course work in the major and related areas and
special honors projects.
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Graduation Honors
Graduation from Khazar University with honors is based on the cumulative
G.P.A. of all grades earned by the graduate.
There are three kinds of graduation honors for undergraduate students
at Khazar:
-
the diplomas of students, whose cumulative grade-point average
is between 85 and 90 inclusive at graduation are inscribed "With
Honors" (cum laude)
-
if G.P.A. lies between 91 and 95 inclusive, the phrase reads
"With High Honors" (magna cum laude)
-
students earning a cumulative G.P.A. of 96 or better are designed
as graduating "With Highest Honors" (summa cum laude)
For master's students, "Honor" diploma is granted to
the students whose G.P.A. is equal to or above 90.
Graduation with honors does not apply to doctoral students.
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Dean's Honor List
At the end of each semester, the office of each Dean compiles an
Honors List of students, whose work during the semester was generally
outstanding. The Dean's List specifically includes those students,
whose G.P.A. for the semester was 85 or better while registered
for twelve or more semester hours of the course work. A grade of
"F" or "IC" in any course makes the student
ineligible for the Dean's Honor List regardless of other grades.
Evaluation
Students are evaluated on the basis of their academic performance
during the semester. Assignment of a grade for a student's work
in a course is primarily the prerogative of the instructor after
consultation with the Dean. Besides final examination, different
components could be used for the grade composition: attendance and
participation, individual and group assignments, projects, discussions
and presentations, labs, written papers, essays, practical and oral
examinations, theses and dissertations for advanced degrees, etc.
If a student fails a course he/she cannot take a second examination
until the course or its equivalent is retaken. As explained in the
preceding pages of this Catalog, student who received "incomplete"
grade are exception to this rule. Students who failed with a grade
between 57-59, may re-sit the exam upon their own wish and must
pay additional fee for re-sitting the exam.
All in-class examinations must be taken and all take-home assignments
collected, completed, and submitted at the time and places designated
on the official schedule published by the Registration and Record
Office. Exceptions to this schedule are made only in a serious cases,
including for the emergency reasons, and generally only with the
prior approval of the Dean of the School. If a student is absent
for a good reason from a final exam he/she must apply to the School's
Dean to earn the course special examination privileges.
An evaluation of each student's progress is made by the Registration
and Record Office after each semester. In addition to the cumulative
grade-point average, this evaluation considers completion of all
university requirements and the ratio of courses satisfactory completed
to all courses attempted by the student. Students who are not making
satisfactory progress are informed of the result of their evaluation.
For more information about examination and evaluation rules, please
see Khazar University "Examination and Evaluation Guidelines".
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Access to Students Academic Records
Information about the University student may not be released to
a third party without his/her permission. Exceptions are Law Enforcement
and Financial Aid Institutions. The policy allows the students to
review their academic records and to challenge the contents of those
records. Some information about the student is considered public
or directory information, for example, name, enrollment dates and
status, school and class, major, advisor, academic awards and honors
received, and degrees earned. Student may prevent the release of
public information through contacting the Registration and Records
Office.
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