Academic Calendar Year, Semesters and Terms

The academic calendar year consists of two 16-week semesters and one 8-week semester. A special 20-week term exists outside the regular 16-week semester in fall and spring. Additional terms may exist within the full semester. In Summer, a 10-week and two 5-week summer terms will also exist in addition to the traditional 8 week summer term.  Student can enroll in the same course more than once in a semester by utilizing the shorter additional terms.  

Course Numbering System

000	General transfer elective*
010 – 099	Pre-college level courses (will not count toward certificate or degree)
100 – 299	Lower division undergraduate courses
300 – 499	Upper division undergraduate courses

*Courses that do not have a direct OTC equivalency.  May be used as electives or substituted at the department’s discretion

Disability and Non-Discrimination Information

OTC is committed to providing equal opportunities for all persons and does not discriminate or retaliate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, disability, citizenship or legal immigration status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by federal, state and local laws. This extends to admissions, employment, services, and educational programs and activities that the college operates.

Pursuant to OTC policy, reasonable accommodations in employment and education are available upon requests. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, harassed, or been denied a reasonable accommodation in employment or education, please contact the Title IX office at titleix@otc.edu or 417-447-8188.

Grading System – Undergraduate Coursework

OTC uses a four-point grading system. The college issues official grades for each student at the end of each term. OTC grades students enrolled in credit courses by the letter system below:

Grade:	Points:	Description:
College level courses. Grades computed in the GPA
A	4	Exemplary
B	3	Superior
C	2	Adequate
D	1	Minimal
F	0	Failing
Grades not included in the GPA
AU	0	The student enrolled in and completed the course as an “auditor”. Requirements for successful completion as an auditor are arranged with the course instructor. Does not count as credit for the course.
G	0	Academic Fresh Start. Used in conjunction with the original letter grade earned by the student.   Course no longer counts toward a certificate or degree.
I	0	An “I,” or incomplete, indicates a student has been doing acceptable work but has not completed a small amount of work. It is the student’s responsibility to have this deficiency removed within six (6) weeks after the incomplete is assigned.
IP	0	Student is current In Progress in the course
N	0	Used in conjunction with letter grades of A, B, C, or D for classes traditionally below college level (less than 100 level). These courses are not included in consideration for honors. An N grade with no accompanying letter grade indicates a non-credit passing grade.
NP	0	Not Passing. Given for courses (less than 100 level), as well as selected courses which have been approved by the Provost to be offered on a Passing/Not-Passing system.
P	0	Passing. Awarded upon successful completion of Continuing Education course. May be used for selected courses with the approval of the Provost.
RG	0	Student has registered for the course in a future term
S	0	Credit By Exam. The student received credit for a course through proficiency examination. This symbol counts as hours earned but not as hours attempted.
T	0	Transfer. Credits transferred from another institution. OTC does not include transfer credits in the cumulative hours or grade point average.
W	0	Withdrawal. Assigned at the time of withdrawal from all or one class(es).

Grading System – Continuing Education Coursework

P	Pass
NP	Not Pass
I	Cont. Ed. Incomplete
PC	Pass – IRC
PN	Pass – Did Not Receive IRC
PU	Pass – Unknown IRC
A	Superior
B	More Than Adequately Met
C	Adequately Met
D	Minimally Met Objectives
F	Failed To Meet Objectives
Z	Attempted, Outcome Unknown
W	Withdrawn

Other Credit Types

Articulated Credit:

Articulated Credit allows students to earn college credit for select coursework completed during high school.  For more information, please visit the Articulated Credit website.

Credit by Exam (Test Out): 

Designated on the OTC Transcript as “Credit by Exam”, credit by exam is awarded by the academic department if the student can demonstrate the required skills by means of an established assessment.  For more information on Credit by Exam, contact OTC Academic Affairs.

Credit for Prior Learning (Professional Credit):

Designated on the OTC Transcript as “Professional Credit”, credit for prior learning is awarded by the academic department if the student can demonstrate the required skills by means of an established assessment.  For more information on Credit for Prior Learning, contact OTC Academic Affairs.

General Education Complete:

Student has satisfied all general education requirements. It is a framework for general education that all Missouri public two-and four-year institutions of higher education adopted effective for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Honors Courses:

Courses designed for Honor Program students to encourage critical and creative thinking.

Missouri Civics Exam:

Student has passed the Missouri Civics Exam.  It is required by state law. A 2018 Missouri Senate bill requires “Any student entering a public institution of higher education for the first time after July 2019 who is pursuing an associate’s or bachelor’s degree from such institution shall successfully pass an examination on the provisions and principles of American civics with a score of seventy percent or greater as a condition of graduation from such institution. ” This is separate from the Constitution requirement in the State of Missouri. 

Service Learning:

Service learning gives students experiences that enhance their overall understanding of the subject matter they’re learning in the classroom.

Prior Names

1990 – 1994:  Heart of the Ozarks Community College

Repeating Courses

Students may repeat courses with earned grades to allow a student to improve his/her grade point average. Once a student repeats a class, the new grade replaces the previous grade in the grade point average. If a student elects to repeat a course, the grade earned from the final attempt of the course is the final grade, even if that grade is lower than the previous attempt. The transcript will show all previous attempts on the transcript with a “REPEATED” code. The semester or cumulative grade point average calculations will not include these courses.

Semester Credit Hour

The unit of measure for academic purposes is the semester credit hour. A semester hour is equivalent to 750 minutes of lecture, 1500 minutes of laboratory, or 2250 minutes of practicum/clinical.

Spring 2020 Pass/Not Pass Policy Changes

The college policy regarding Pass/Not Pass grading was adjusted for the Spring 2020 semester due to the Covid -19 Pandemic and the changes made to course delivery.  Students were allowed to request Pass/Not Pass as an alternative to the final grade issued by the instructor at the end of the Spring 2020 semester.  These changes included:

• Pass/Not Pass was allowed as an option for all 16-week, 14-week and 2nd 8-week classes completed during the spring 2020 semester. This option did not apply to any A-Block (1st 8-week) classes.
• The Pass/Not Pass option was not available for future semesters.
• The Pass/Not Pass option was available for any class that utilized the normal A-F grading scheme.
• Students were allowed to select the Pass/Not Pass option after final grades were submitted at the end of Spring semester by completing an online form. That form was not available until final grading begun.
• The instructor still entered the final grade earned for all students in all courses. Students did not request the Pass/Not Pass option through the instructor. OTC maintained the final grade earned in the course for all students but used the Pass/Not Pass grade for those who requested it.
• Passing (P) grades were allowed to meet prerequisites for future classes.
• Passing (P) grades met degree requirements for all OTC certificates and degrees.
• Pass/Not Pass was applied on a course by course basis. Students did not need to select this option for all courses on their Spring 2020 schedule.
• Once elected, the decision to change the grade to Pass/Not Pass could not be reversed.

Student Classification

Following are the standards for academic classification of students at OTC:

• Freshman – A student who has completed fewer than thirty (30) semester hours of coursework.
• Sophomore – A student who has completed between thirty (30) and fifty nine (59) semester hours of coursework.
• Junior – A student who has completed between sixty (60) and eighty nine (89) semester hours of coursework.
• Senior – A student who has completed ninety (90) or more semester hours of coursework.

Transcript Validation and Authenticity

This is an official transcript only if printed on secure blue paper with Ozarks Technical Community College repeated in the background and the official seal appearing as the watermark. Transcripts issued to students will have “ISSUED TO STUDENT” stamped prominently across each page. When copied, the word “COPY” appears prominently across the face of the entire document. Bleach will turn the paper brown if the transcript is official. Institutions may obtain further documentation by contacting the college.