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The Joint Degree Programme between the College of William & Mary and the University of St Andrews is one of the few of its kind in the world. Students complete two years at each institution and earn a single diploma—a Bachelor of Arts (International Honours) - with the insignias of both institutions. The requirements and restrictions unique to the Joint Programme are spelled out here; otherwise, Joint Programme students have access to the services and are governed by the policies spelled out in the front of this Catalog.

Mission. The Joint Programme melds the best aspects of two academic traditions, while offering to students a greater range of academic choices and the opportunity to acquire direct knowledge of two distinct intellectual and national cultures. Existing degree programs in each institution are designed according to contrasting principles: William & Mary offers a broad Liberal Arts education with a majority of study hours devoted to subjects outside the Major; St Andrews offers less breadth in a degree characterized by increasing depth in a single discipline. The aim of the curricula in each of the four disciplines will be to offer more breadth than a traditional St Andrews degree as well as more specialization than is usual at William & Mary.

Programs. The four participating disciplines at the College of William and Mary have identified significant complementarities with St Andrews. By effectively pooling faculty and courses in Economics, English, History, and International Relations, the two institutions can offer students a broad range of new academic options unavailable at either institution alone or on traditional study abroad programs. Individual program requirements and William and Mary course offerings are explained below.

Admission to the Joint Programme

Students apply to the Joint Programme through either William and Mary or St Andrews; they may not apply to the Joint Programme through both institutions. Students may apply simultaneously to William and Mary and to the Joint Programme, or to the Joint Programme alone. Applications are due by January 1.

Students may apply early decision to William & Mary, but there is no early admission application to the Joint Degree Programme. Early decision applicants who would also like to be considered for admission to the Joint Degree Programme  may submit the Supplement, but the decision for the Joint Degree Programme will not be made until April.  Any applicant who accepts an early decision offer will be committed to William & Mary, but may still enroll later in the Joint Degree Programme if admitted.

Because students must spend two full years at each institution and because of the continuance standards specified below, transfer credits from other universities will not be accepted, nor will credits from IB, AP, etc. (but see below). There can be no concurrent courses, admission during senior year of high school, FlexTrack, or admission as a non-degree seeking student.

The institution to which the student is admitted is the home institution and the one at which the student will spend year one; the other institution is the host institution and the one at which the student will spend year two. Students’ interests and courses of study will determine at which institution they spend years three and four, but they must spend one of those years at each institution.

Transfer from William and Mary into the Joint Programme: First-year students at William and Mary may apply to transfer into the Joint Programme no later than March 1st of Spring semester. Students applying for a first-year transfer will have to demonstrate that they are on track to complete 30 credit hours at William and Mary (not counting AP, IB, transfer, etc.) before they begin their second year at St Andrews; and they must consult with the appropriate program advisor about enrolling in the appropriate first-year courses in the major during both semesters.

William and Mary students who apply to the Joint Programme after their first year will be admitted only under extraordinary circumstances and with the consent of both the College and St Andrews; such students will still have to complete two years each at William and Mary and St Andrews, and so will very likely require five years to complete their requirements. All students transferring from William and Mary into the Joint Programme will pay an additional entrance fee.

Transfer from the Joint Programme into William and Mary or St Andrews: Students admitted into the Joint Programme through William and Mary (i.e., whose “home” institution is William and Mary) may, at their request, become regular degree-seeking students at the College provided they meet the normal requirements for continuance. Students admitted through William and Mary who wish to become regular degree-seeking students at St Andrews must petition to transfer, and may be required to apply via St Andrews’ normal admissions process.    Students admitted through St Andrews who wish to become regular degree-seeking students at William and Mary must apply to transfer to William and Mary. All transfers of W&M home students from the Joint Programme to either William and Mary or St Andrews become effective at the end of the semester in which the student submits the request to transfer.

Readmission: Students whose home institution is William and Mary, who are in good standing in the Programme per the continuance standards below, but who have not been in attendance for one or more semesters must submit an application for readmission to the Office of the Dean of Students. Normal deadlines apply; however, readmission is contingent upon discussion with and the recommendation of the appropriate program advisor and the consent of both institutions.

Summer School: Joint Programme students may take courses only through summer school at William and Mary (including William and Mary Summer Study Abroad).

Student Financial Aid. There is limited financial aid for St Andrews Joint Degree students. Financial aid initiatives such as Gateway William & Mary will not be applied to the aid package for joint degree students. Grants and loans will be awarded to meet demonstrated financial need for Virginia residents; need-based grant funds for out-of-state students will be much more limited. Students accepted to both the Joint Degree Programme and the standard program will receive two separate award letters.

Tuition and Other Expenses. The fee for the Joint Degree Programme is $34,200 for the academic year 2013-14, to be charged at $17,100 each semester. This amount covers tuition and fees with the exception of the following:

Residence Hall fees and room damage deposit
Meal Plan fees
Orientation fee(s)
Special instructional fees (music, labs, art, activity courses)
Books and printing fees
Fines, returned check, and other penalty fees
Parking
Transportation
Summer School tuition
Personal Expenses

Because of the nature of this Joint Programme, there is no tuition differential based on domicile. Detailed information on these fees and other tuition policies can be found in the “Tuition and Other Expenses ” chapter of this catalog or on the Bursar’s Office website.

Academic Regulations

Academic Advising. Students whose home institution is William and Mary (and host students once they arrive at William and Mary) will be assigned to the Joint Programme Advisor in their major; the individual program’s designated Advisor will advise the student during both years in residence at the College and, via email, when the student is at St Andrews. First-year students are required to attend three advising meetings during each registration period and before they will be permitted to register. Second-year students (i.e., those for whom William and Mary is the host institution) are also required to attend three advising meetings: one when they arrive, one before they register for their second semester, and one at the start of the second semester to determine where they will spend their third and fourth years. Students must also meet with their Advisor at the start of the academic year in which they return to William and Mary, and, if they return for their third year, again before they register for their second semester and before they register for their fourth year. These are minimal requirements; students are encouraged to meet regularly with their Joint Programme Advisor when they are in residence and to communicate via email when they are at St Andrews.

Academic Records, Confidentiality and Privacy. Joint Programme students sign a release at the time of matriculation that allows William and Mary and St Andrews to share student record information. The federal laws and university policies explained in the “Academic Records, Confidentiality and Privacy ” section of the “Academic Regulations” chapter at the beginning of this catalog apply to all Joint Programme students while in residence at William & Mary.

Classification of Students. In the Joint Programme, academic classifications are as follows:

First-year: 0-30 credits earned (0-120 St Andrews credits)
Second-year: 31-60 credits earned (124-240 St Andrews credits)
Third-year: 61-90 credits earned (244-360 St Andrews credits)
Fourth-year: more than 91 credits earned (364 St Andrews credits)

Enrollment Statuses. All Joint Programme students must maintain full-time status, with the extraordinary exception of a student forced to take a medical underload (see below). “Full time” at William and Mary is defined as a minimum of 12 credits per semester. “Full-time” at St Andrews is in most cases 60 credits (15 W&M credits) per semester. While at William and Mary, Joint Programme students are permitted to take as few as 12 credits per semester, but only in consultation with their Advisor, as Joint Programme students must have earned 60 W&M credits (240 St Andrews credits) by the end of their second-year Spring semester.

In exceptional circumstances, a student may petition for a medical underload; such petitions will also require the approval of the Program Advisor and the consent of both institutions. Because underloads might make it difficult to meet continuance standards, only underloads for medical reasons will be possible in the Joint Programme.

Withdrawal or Medical Withdrawal (or Leave) from the Programme is possible consistent with the procedures at the institution in which the student is in residence (students in residence at W&M can find those procedures under “Registration and Withdrawal  ” in this Catalog).  The student shall, if at all possible, first discuss the withdrawal with the programme advisors and should be aware that withdrawal might make it difficult to meet continuance standards.  Students awarded withdrawal or leave must first be readmitted/reinstated to the home institution per that institution’s requirements; only then may readmission/reinstatement to the Joint Programme be granted per agreement of both institutions. 

System of Grading

Repeated courses: Any course in which a student receives an “F” or a “W” may be repeated for a grade (grades of “W” are given only at W&M); however, students should be aware that these grades will make it very difficult to meet continuance standards.

Incomplete Grades: Grades of “Incomplete” (or “D” at St Andrews) require the approval of the instructor; students must complete outstanding essential coursework while they are still in residence at the institution at which they took the course.

Pass/Fail and Audit: Although Joint Programme students may elect to audit a William and Mary course or to take one Pass/Fail, such courses will not count toward credits for the Joint Degree.

Continuance Standards

The following are the recommended standards for continuance for Joint Programme students:

*Normally, students may take below 15 credits per semester only when they are in residence at William and Mary and when they have devised a plan with their advisor to make up the credits before beginning the next academic year.

**By the end of their fourth semester, students must have accumulated 60 (240) credits, must have passed with a D (7) or better, on their first attempt, all courses in their major subject or required for the major, and earned at least a C+ (an 11 at St Andrews) on their first attempt in the following 2nd year courses (Honours Entry courses at St Andrews and their WM equivalents:

Economics. At W&M, in both ECON 303  and ECON 304 ; at StA, in both EC2001 and 2002;

English. At W&M, in ENGL 203  and in one other course above the 100-level; at StA, in both EN2003 & 2004;

History. At W&M, in two History classes, at least one of which should be at 300-level; at StA, in two 2000-level modules with HI-, ME- or MO-prefixes.

International Relations. At W&M, in GOVT 327 ; in one of GOVT 303 , GOVT 304 , or GOVT 305 ; and in one of GOVT 324 , GOVT 325 , or GOVT 328 ; at St A, in both IR2005 & 2006.

***In order to pursue an Honors thesis at William and Mary, students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 (an average of 14 at St Andrews) by the beginning of their seventh semester, or a GPA of 3.0 (average 14) for their third year.

Continuance Standard for Cumulative GPA: Joint Programme students who do not meet the minimum continuance standards for the regular track at William and Mary at the end of the academic year, regardless of whether they are home or host students, will be placed on academic probation; the general policy will apply except 1) that no official action* (i.e., the notification that the student is on probation or has been suspended) will be taken until the end of the academic year; and 2) that Joint Programme students will have the academic year after they have been put on probation to achieve the minimum Continuance standard.  Students in residence at W&M who have not met the continuance standards for the regular track at the end of a semester will be required to participate in the Academic Intervention Program.

*Nevertheless, students in residence whose performance at the end of the semester falls below the Continuance Standards listed above will receive a letter from their Program Advisor and will be required to meet with the Program Advisor to discuss strategies and services available.

Students on probation who do not meet the Continuance standards by the end of the academic year will be suspended from William and Mary and asked to leave the Joint Programme; if they are home students, they may apply for reinstatement to William and Mary but they may not be reinstated into the Joint Programme. See policies for “Continuance ” and “Reinstatement ” at the front of this Catalog.

Continuance Standard, Prerequisites: If, at the end of the add-drop period in any given semester at William and Mary, a student has dropped or failed to enroll in (a) prerequisite(s) necessary for that student to continue in his or her program, or in the final semester a course required to graduate, that student may be administratively dropped from the Joint Programme. (An exception may be made if the student plans to attend summer school and has a note from the program advisor agreeing to the plan and assuring that the necessary courses will be offered, OR if the student receives an exemption per the procedures in “ Exemptions from Degrees” below.)

Continuance Standards, progression to the third year: Students who fail to achieve the specific standards for progression to the third year may be asked to leave the Joint Programme (see below); however, students whose home institution is William and Mary may continue in the regular track provided they meet the Continuance Standards for cumulative GPA. Students who have not met the continuance standards for progression to the third year but who wish to continue in the Joint Programme may appeal to both the Director of Teaching at the appropriate School at St Andrews and to the W&M Joint Programme Committee. The appeal must be submitted as soon as the grades are published at the end of the fourth semester. In order for the appeal to be considered,

Students must have earned 30/120 credits in year 1 and at least 23/90 credits in year 2;

William and Mary home students must have received grades averaging 10 in their Honours entry courses at St Andrews; St Andrews home students must have received grades averaging “C” (2.0) in the corresponding courses at William and Mary.

The respective authorities at both institutions will decide together whether the student will be permitted to continue on probation. If permitted, the student must have earned 90/360 credits by the end of the 3rd year, and must earn grades of at least 13.5 in two 3000- or 4000-level modules in their major subject (if year 3 is spent at St Andrews) or a grade of B in at least two 300- or 400-level courses in their major subject (if year 3 is spent at William & Mary). Students who do not meet these conditions of probation will be asked to leave the Joint Programme.

Continuation for International Students.  Any student in the Joint Degree Programme will be an international student at one, if not at both, institutions.  Students should be aware of the requirements for the university’s continued sponsorship of their visas, which may include attendance, prompt payment of fees, etc. See https://www.wm.edu/offices/revescenter/issp/visasandimmigration/index.php for requirements at W&M, and http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/international/information/tier4students-oursharedresponsibilities/ for requirements at St Andrews.

Religious Accommodations Guidelines. The College’s Guidelines apply to all Joint Programme students in residence. St Andrews does not have these same guidelines: students in residence at St Andrews need to notify their instructors as soon as they discover any conflict between religious observances and required academic activities; students have the responsibility to arrange course schedules to minimize conflicts.

Requirements for Degrees

The undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Arts (International Honours), or BA(IH), combines the breadth and flexibility of a liberal arts degree with a four-year program of in-depth study in one of four disciplines: Economics, English, History, or International Relations. The Joint Degree Programme requires students to plan carefully with their Program Advisors a course of study suited to their particular needs and interests.

All Joint Degree Programme students will take a common reading-, writing-, and discussion-intensive seminar (the Joint Programme Seminar) during their first year of residence at William and Mary. This seminar satisfies the College’s freshman seminar and writing proficiency requirements. The goal of the seminar is 1) to initiate students into the culture of critical thinking and independent inquiry, 2) to foster interest in liberal education via the seminar’s interdisciplinary approach, and 3) to introduce students to their cohort in the Joint Programme.

The College of William and Mary has identified a series of knowledge-, skills-, and values-objectives critical to a liberal arts education; students in the Joint Programme will develop a “breadth portfolio,” choosing from a range of courses offered at both institutions that satisfy these objectives. And Joint Programme students will pursue in depth a major in one of the four disciplines, with opportunity for both independent study and Honors.

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the College of William and Mary and the Faculties of the respective Schools at St Andrews determine the degree requirements for the BA(IH), including the regulations for continuance in the Joint Programme. Therefore, the “Requirements for Degrees ” section that appears earlier in this catalog has been modified for this Programme.

Test and Transfer Credit

Students in the Joint Programme may not apply credit from College Board Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate examinations, etc. toward the Joint Degree. However, exam scores may count toward course exemptions and satisfaction of learning objectives for breadth as outlined at the front of this catalog.

No transfer credit may be applied toward the Joint Degree, and there is no credit by examination.

Summer School and Study Away

Joint Programme students may apply summer school courses taken at William and Mary (including William and Mary summer Study Abroad), toward the BA(IH), as long as 1) the student has earned 60 W&M (240 St Andrews) credits by the end of the Spring semester of their second year, and—except in unusual circumstances —120 W&M (480 St Andrews) credits by the end of the Spring semester of their fourth year; and 2) the student spends two complete academic years in residence at each institution. No other study away may be counted toward the Joint Degree.

Requirements for the Baccalaureate Degree, International Honours

General Requirements. 120 W&M credit hours (equivalent to 480 St Andrews credit hours) are required for graduation and a minimum GPA of 2.0 (10.5 St Andrews). William and Mary home students must complete at least 61 W&M credit hours in residence at W&M. Students are expected to complete the Joint Degree in four years of full-time study; only in exceptional circumstances (such as medical withdrawal) may the time to degree be extended.

The 72-hour rule does not apply to students in the Joint Degree Programme.

Credit Hour Limitations in Applied Music, Military Science, Physical Activities, Statistics, and Theatre/Speech/Dance.

Joint Programme students may not apply credits from courses taken in Applied Music, Military Science, Physical Activities, and Theatre/Speech/Dance toward the Joint Degree, with the following exceptions from Theatre/Speech/Dance, which may be applied to the Joint Degree: THEA 150 /THEA 150W , THEA 152W , THEA 200 , THEA 328 /THEA 328W , THEA 329 /THEA 329W , THEA 331 /THEA 331W , THEA 332 , THEA 333 , THEA 340 , THEA 410 /THEA 410W , THEA 461 /THEA 461W , THEA 481 ; DANC 220 , DANC 230 , DANC 333; and SPCH 311  and SPCH 410 .

Joint Programme students may count only two introductory statistics courses from either institution toward the Joint Degree.

Exemption from degree requirements: Requests for exemption from any Joint Programme degree requirements must be presented to and approved by the student’s Program Advisor, and must be supported by documentation (for example, by a letter from a physician). Requests will go to the Committee on Degrees at William and Mary and must also be approved by the relevant administrators at St Andrews.

Course Specific Requirements

Joint Programme students are required to complete the College’s foreign language, writing, digital information, and major computing proficiencies and a first-year seminar (the writing and major computing proficiencies and the first-year seminar are built into the Joint Degree structure). All William and Mary home students will also take, in the Spring semester of their first year, a 1-credit course that will prepare them for their first year abroad. (This course is not required for St. Andrews home students, although they may take it if they wish).

Joint Programme students will, in consultation with their program advisors, compile a “breadth portfolio” comprised of courses satisfying the six knowledge—nine skills—and three values-objectives that underlie the College’s existing General Education Requirements (GERs).

Knowledge objectives:

An understanding of the world of nature;
An understanding of individual and social behavior;
A general historical knowledge of Western civilization;
An acquaintance with a non-Western cultural tradition;
A general knowledge of masterworks, genres and movements in art, music, and literature;
A general knowledge of major philosophical and religious systems.

Skills objectives:

Critical thinking skills;
Verbal skills;
Quantitative skills;
Scientific skills;
Aesthetic skills;
Historical inquiry skills;
Language skills (i.e., proficiency in a foreign language);
Information acquisition skills;
Computer literacy skills.

Values objectives:

Intellectual values;
Social and civic values;
Personal values.

The Major. Unlike William & Mary undergraduates, who are admitted in an “undeclared” status, BA(IH) Joint Programme students are admitted to one of the four programs, the specifications for which appear at the end of this section. In Years 3 & 4, Joint Programme students must complete the equivalent of 45 W&M/180 StA credits in upper division courses (300-400 or 3000-4000) counting toward their major. This means that typically students must take at least 5 upper-division courses in courses counting toward their major at W&M.

A Joint Programme student who wishes to change programs may petition to do so through the program advisor in the prospective department. Such changes are difficult, but when the student has taken the appropriate courses and space permits, the petition maybe granted.

Minors or double majors are not possible in the Joint Programme.

Honors and Special Programs

Departmental Honors Projects are available in the individual programs and are governed by the stipulations in the “Requirements for Degrees ” section found earlier in this catalog. (Such projects are required in History and IR when the student meets these stipulations and spends the 4th year at W&M).

Graduation (Latin) Honors will be calculated for Joint Programme students as described in the “Requirements for Degrees ” section and will be reflected on the transcript at both institutions.

Degree Class will be determined for Joint Programme students by the following matrix and reflected on the transcript at both institutions.

Degree Class 1: St Andrews Average 16.5-20

Degree Class IIi: St Andrews Average 13.5-16.4

Degree Class IIii: St Andrews Average 10.5-13.4

Joint Programme students may apply 3 credits of internship toward the degree from W&M’s Washington DC program; otherwise, internships for credit are not available to Joint Programme students.

The Joint Degree Programs

Programs

• Economics, BA (International Honours)
• English, BA (International Honours)
• History, BA (International Honours)
• International Relations, BA (International Honours)

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