A separate permanent record is maintained for the Core segment, on which each course and its grade are recorded. The average of these grades is transferred to the Stern College transcript for between 3 and 6 credits as determined by the student at registration, under the heading Hebraic Studies (HEST). The composite average is transferred as follows:

3.668 – 4.000 = A
3.334 – 3.667 = A-
3.001 – 3.333 = B+
2.668 – 3.000 = B
2.334 – 2.667 = B-
2.001 – 2.333 = C+
1.668 – 2.000 = C
1.334 – 1.667 = C-
1.001 – 1.333 = D+
0.668 – 1.000 = D
0.334 – 0.667 = D-
0.000 – 0.333 = F

B. ADDITIONAL CREDITS
Each student must complete 14 additional Jewish studies credits.

C. DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS
Distribution requirements may be fulfilled through Core segments and the 14 additional Jewish Studies credits.

Bible: minimum of 17 credits.
Judaic Studies: minimum of 17 credits.
Jewish History: minimum of 5 credits.
Jewish Philosophy: minimum of 5 credits.
Hebrew: depends on the results of a placement exam, which is used to assign the student to the appropriate level upon entering Stern College.

Students assigned to HEBR 1101, 1102, 1103, or 1104: six courses.
Students assigned to HEBR 1203 or 1204: four courses.
Students assigned to HEBR 1205 or higher: three courses.

Associate in Arts
Jewish Studies
A. Credit requirement: The student must complete Jewish studies courses equivalent to five semesters of Core and 7 additional Jewish Studies credits. These requirements must be completed within six years of admission. Students in a Sy Syms School BS program, or in a joint or combined program, must also meet these requirements to receive the AA degree.
B. Residence requirement: The student must have prior or simultaneous receipt of a bachelor’s degree from Stern College or Sy Syms School. At least three semesters of Core and all 7 additional Jewish studies credits must be taken at Stern College.
c. Grade requirement: Students must achieve an average of 2.4 or better in all Jewish studies courses for the AA degree.
d. Administrative requirements: Each student must receive approbation of the faculty and the president and must have filed an Application for Degree during the registration period of the semester in which the student completes all requirements.


Placement

Placement Examination in Hebrew
Before registration, each student is assigned to the appropriate level of study—elementary, intermediate, or advanced—based on a written placement exam. (A student will not receive credit for courses on a level lower than the one on which she has been placed). Even the elementary-level courses presuppose the student’s ability to read Hebrew text and to write the Hebrew alphabet in cursive script.

English Placement
International students will be assigned to English as a Second Language based on a placement examination upon entrance. Other students may be required to write a placement essay during Orientation.

Mathematics Placement
A placement examination, taken during Orientation, is required of all students wishing to study biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics.

Foreign Language Study
A student who wishes to continue a foreign language taken in high school should use the following general rule: one year of high school study is equivalent to one semester of college study. The first semester of an elementary course is open only to students with no previous coursework in the language.

Students will not receive credit for college language courses that duplicate what they have studied in high school.
A placement examination, taken during orientation, is required of all students wishing to continue the study of Spanish taken in high school.


School Regulations

Attendance
At the start of the semester, each student must report in person to each of her instructors to learn the specific attendance, examination, and other requirements of each course. A student who does not meet these requirements may be dropped from a course.

A record of the student’s attendance in each class is kept by the instructor. In performance courses (such as laboratory, public speaking, music, language, and physical education), attendance is required at all class sessions. Attendance is compulsory for freshmen, students on probation, and all students in classes where the instructor requires attendance.

Generally, a student’s attendance record is taken into account whenever there may be occasion to determine her status in the university.

Grades: P or N System
Each student is permitted to select one course each semester to be graded P or N. This is for the purpose of stimulating students to take coursework outside their area of specialization. Regulations and limitations applicable to the choice of a course on the P or N system are available from the Office of the Registrar.

Internships
In several disciplines, apprenticeships are available in a setting complementary to academic coursework in the field. The internship must be supervised and approved by a faculty advisor. Internships are listed on the student’s record as “(Subject) 4941” (a second term is 4942, etc.). Credit depends on the number of hours devoted. Regulations governing internships are available in the Office of the Registrar.

Workload
The normal number of credits for a full semester’s work toward the bachelor’s degree is 15.5 to 18.5 (this includes those credits transferred to the degree from the Jewish Studies Program). No more than seven courses, including approved courses taken outside the college, may be taken in a semester.

A full-time student is defined as one who is enrolled for at least 12 credits during a 15-week semester.

Students with low averages are subject to restrictions on their workload as described in the Academic Retention, Probation, and Dismissal section.

S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program
The S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program at Stern College stresses writing and critical analysis, creativity, cultural enrichment, research, and individual mentoring. The program gives high-achieving students an added dimension of responsibility for their own education and allows them to enjoy a greater measure of challenge and opportunity.

Students acquire the ability to synthesize different branches of knowledge and modes of thought, to express themselves articulately, to find new solutions to problems from different points of view, and achieve greater depth in their studies.

Admission to the Program
Students in the program usually apply to and are accepted into the honors program prior to their arrival at Stern College. The application process is very competitive. Typically, successful applicants will have a combined SAT score of at least 1350 and a high school average of 90 or above.

Prior to their arrival at Stern College, students complete—in addition to the regular application for acceptance—the Application for Academic Scholarships and the S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program at Stern College for Women, available from the Office of Admissions. The application requires two special essays, two special letters of recommendation, information about the applicant’s extracurricular activities and interests, SAT scores, and high-school transcripts. These components are all carefully considered and affect admissions decisions. Students applying for the Honors Program also may be eligible for one of the academic scholarships available to applicants who show outstanding promise.

In addition, a limited number of spaces are available each year for students already on campus; such students may apply in the spring for acceptance the following fall. Eligible students must attend Stern College for at least four more semesters, have a GPA of at least 3.6, and submit a complete application. The application for students already on campus is available in the office of the director of the Honors Program. It is not the same application completed by students entering Stern College.

The Program

• Honors courses. Students take at least seven honors courses chosen from offerings in the humanities, Jewish studies, natural sciences, and social sciences, as well as interdisciplinary seminars. Frequently, summer honors courses are off campus, in Europe, or in various parts of the United States.

• Cultural enrichment. Each semester, students in the program attend concerts, operas, and ballet; enjoy walking tours and guided trips to museums; and visit such “only in New York” destinations as the United Nations.

• Leadership sessions. Students participate in workshops that explore contemporary challenges in areas such as ethics, communal responsibility, and interpersonal relations.

• Speaker series. A variety of speakers drawn from a broad array of fields, including the arts, politics, education, media, and medicine, are invited each semester to address the honors students.

• Mentors. Faculty serve as mentors for the honors students and help plan academic programs, including summer independent study, research, and internship opportunities.

• Senior project. Throughout her senior year, each honors student works on a senior project under the close supervision of her mentor, completing the project prior to graduation.

Students who fulfill all requirements have the honors distinction noted on their diplomas and transcripts.

Advisement
The director of the Honors Program oversees the progress of all honors students. Students meet individually with the director upon entrance, and receive ongoing guidance and support thereafter.