Academic Policies, Procedures and Regulations
Academic Regulations
The academic regulations and procedures define student academic rights and responsibilities. Students are responsible to be aware of and comply with all academic policies and regulations.
Parker University reserves the right to change academic policies, regulations and procedures, course offerings, and schedule of fees and tuition. Students have access to all updated policies via the University Catalog and/or addendum published to Parker.edu. Any changes published will apply to all currently enrolled students.
The university defines extenuating circumstances as follows: Extenuating circumstances are circumstances outside a student’s control that may impact their attendance and/or academic performance. Extenuating circumstances are generally considered rare, uncontrollable, and unpredictable, and most often fall into the categories of accidents, injuries and/or illnesses. However, Parker recognizes that students may also face long-term personal situations that impact their academic performance.
When policy exceptions or appeals based upon extenuating circumstances are allowable, the preceding definition is utilized by those adjudicating the appeal. Documentation of the extenuating circumstance is required by the student.
Academic Year
The academic year for Parker University is defined as three 4-month periods, also known as Fall, Winter, and Summer. These periods generally follow September – December, January – April, and May – August. Courses are offered in 15-week, 8-week, 7.5-week, and 4-week formats, based on the program structure.
College of Chiropractic
The College of Chiropractic consists of three trimesters per academic year, each 15 weeks in length.
College of Business and Technology and College of Health Sciences
Courses within the College of Business and Technology and the College of Health Sciences vary by program and degree/course level. The academic year consists of three main terms varying from 15 to 16 weeks in length depending upon the program.
Parker University’s Definition of a Credit Hour
Parker follows the requirements and procedures for awarding credit as required by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) Texas Administrative Code. Parker University’s credit hour definition is consistent with the Carnegie unit and The Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Credit hour values are based on the amount of time and type of activity spent per week in each course, including student work outside of the classroom.
Minimum requirements:
One lecture semester credit hour is equal to 15 contact hours in the course.
One laboratory semester credit hour is equal to 30 contact hours in the course.
One clinical education semester credit hour is equal to 45 contact hours in the course.
Doctor of Chiropractic internships consist of a combination of lecture and laboratory components and vary in contact hours. Please refer to the program’s curriculum outline for detailed information on the contact hours.
Parker University requires all semester credit hour courses to meet or exceed the minimum contact hours. The institution’s credit hour policy applies to all undergraduate and graduate courses that award academic credit, regardless of the delivery method (i.e., face-to-face, hybrid, online).
Conversion from Quarter Hours to Credit Hours (when applicable)
Quarter hours represent about two-thirds of a semester credit hour. To convert quarter hours to semester hours, multiply the quarter hours by two and divide by three. For example:
5 quarter hours x 2 = 10
10/3 = 3.33 semester hours
To convert semester hours to quarter hours, multiply the semester hours by three and divide by two. For example:
3 semester hours x 3 = 9
9/2 = 4.5 quarter hours
Residency Policy
Parker University requires a minimum amount of institutional credit hours required for a degree be earned at Parker University. Exceptions may apply in the instance of articulation agreements.
Graduate/Professional Degree
A minimum of one-third of credits toward a graduate or post-baccalaureate professional degree must be earned through instruction offered by Parker University for a degree to be awarded.
Undergraduate Degree
A minimum of 25 percent of the credit hours required for an undergraduate degree are earned through instruction offered by Parker University for a degree to be awarded.