Interim Requirements
Interim is the annual four-week term between Fall and Spring semesters. In Interim, faculty members offer projects on topics not included in the regular curriculum and/or projects using novel approaches and experiences. Each student engages full time for the four weeks on a single project offered by a faculty member OR one proposed by the student and approved by the faculty-student Interim Committee. Regulations for Interim and for the submission/approval of student proposed projects may be obtained from the Interim Committee or the Interim Coordinator. The list of project topics, which changes yearly, is available through myWofford early in the fall semester.
Each student must complete and pass four projects, one for each academic year or equivalent at Wofford. Only one interim project may be undertaken at a time. Failing a project will require the student to complete and pass a project in a subsequent interim term or in the summer. Credit hours earned in interim projects may be applied ONLY toward the interim requirement. They cannot be used to to satisfy any portion of general education, requirements for majors, minors or other programs.
Exceptions to the Four Interim Rule
- Students who complete all degree requirements, including earning 120 credit hours, in three academic years are eligible to have one interim waived. Students that start a seventh semester (fall or spring) are required to complete a fourth interim.
- Students pursuing the pre-education program who are required to take EDUC 430 can apply the course to both the interim requirement and the pre-education program.
- Satisfactory completion of a Wofford affiliated off-campus study program will stand in lieu of an interim project when the calendar of that study abroad program precludes the student’s participation in Interim. However, actual interim credit hours are not awarded. Satisfactory completion is defined as earning a minimum of 12 credit hours with a term GPA of 2.00 in the off-campus study program.
- Students that transfer to Wofford after beginning their academic careers elsewhere will need to complete one interim for every academic year of enrollment at Wofford. For example, a student that transfers during the fall of their second year of college enrollment will need to complete three interim courses, if they graduate on-time during the Spring of their senior year. A student that delays graduation until the following Fall, will need to complete an additional interim as the student has completed another full year of enrollment.
- Students suffering from a medical condition or other extenuating circumstance that may preclude them from completing an interim, need to request a waiver of the interim requirement for that particular year. Each case is reviewed individually by the Interim Coordinator, Registrar, and Director of the Wellness Center in consultation with other faculty and staff as needed. Approved waivers will be noted in DegreeWorks with an exception adjusting the number of courses necessary to fulfill the interim requirement. Students who request a waiver that is not approved will need to complete the interim during a subsequent January or Summer term.
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During January 2020 and 2021 Wofford faculty will be experimenting with offering general education courses during Interim. Students who complete an approved general education course during January 2020 or 2021 may be permitted to apply that course to the appropriate general education requirement and receive a waiver for one of the four interims required for graduation. A student that registers for and fails a pilot general education course taught during January 2020 or 2021 may have one interim course waived, but will need to complete the general education requirement in a subsequent semester/term. Students in this situation can take advantage of the repeat policy which permits replacing the previous grade earned in both credit hour and GPA calculations. The repeated course must be the exact same course (subject and number) in order to replace the previous grade in the calculations. Students who either officially or unofficially withdraw from a pilot general education course (i.e. do not complete the course) will NOT eligible for the interim course waiver and will NOT earn credit for the pilot general education course. This particular exception to the four interim rule only applies to January 2020 and 2021 and approved pilot general education courses.