University Hall houses the College of Arts and Sciences. Credit: Casey Cascaldo | Managing Editor for Multimedia
The College of Arts and Sciences will allow its students to take major and minor courses for pass/nonpass credit this semester in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gretchen Ritter, executive dean and vice provost of the college, announced in an email Sunday.
The email comes one day after an email sent to the university community announcing two proposals being reviewed by the University Senate allowing undergraduate students to opt-in for a pass/non-pass grading scale for general education and elective courses and to extend the time to receive credit for an incomplete course.
The College of Arts and Sciences is the university’s largest college, with 17,581 undergraduate students across more than 80 majors and 100 minors, according to the fall 2019 15th-day enrollment report.
Students in the college will have until April 17 to choose to take courses for pass/nonpass credit, the email said.
Taking a course for pass/nonpass credit will not lower or raise a students’ GPA, and students should consult with an advisor before deciding to choose this type of credit, the email said.
“Your advisor can talk with you about the implications this choice may have for your plans during and after college,” Ritter said in the email.
The announcement comes the day before the start of Ohio State’s first day of virtual instruction after University President Michael V. Drake announced March 12 that all classes would be online for the remainder of the semester.
“While I know you will be getting back to your classes this week, please ensure above all else you are taking good care of yourselves and your loved ones, too,” Ritter said.
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