Associate of Arts (Prison Education Program)

This Associate of Arts degree program offers credit-earning courses to currently incarcerated people and Department of Corrections employees at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Missouri, culminating in an Associate of Arts degree from Saint Louis University.

Prison education students must complete a minimum total of 61 credits for the Associate of Arts.

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This change anticipates the Ignite Seminar in the new University Core.

Transfer Credit Policy

1. Only college-level transfer courses with a grade of “C” or above will be considered for acceptance and application toward a Saint Louis University degree.
2. The cumulative GPA for transfer courses is calculated on all grades from course work of all accredited colleges attended.
3. In the case of repeated transfer courses, grades will be calculated according to the policy of the institution from which the two courses were taken.
4. Only transfer credits from regionally accredited institutions will be considered for transfer to Saint Louis University.
5. The maximum number of transferable hours is 15 credits or 25% of the curriculum.  
6. Developmental, secretarial and highly technical courses of an applied nature may not transfer.
7. All potential transfer courses will be reviewed by the Saint Louis University registrar, an academic advisor and/or the academic director and director of the prison program. 

Academic Progress Policy and Academic Probation

1. A.A. progression requirements are based on academic performance during each individual term in the A.A. program.  
2. Any student with a term GPA falling below 2.00 will be placed on academic probation for two to three terms. The term GPA in the following term must be above the 2.00 criterion or the student will be discontinued from the program. 
3. The Academic Program Director for the A.A. program will notify the student within 14 business days of the posting of the final grades, for the term, regarding his or her placement on probation or discontinuation from the A.A. program. Students may be placed on academic probation no more than twice during the program of study. Students who fall into the academic probation range a third time will be dismissed from the program.
4. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the GPA requirements and as such, know that s/he can be placed on probation or be discontinued from the program based on the GPA requirement. The Academic Program Director is available for consultation and assistance in all progression issues. 
5. Please note that all A.A. courses are sequential and therefore every A.A. course must be passed with a “D” or better to progress into the next term. In unusual circumstances, a student who fails to meet the minimum requirements may be permitted to continue with the permission of the academic program director and by completing an “academic plan for continued enrollment.” 
6. Students may only ask for two leaves of absence during their undergraduate program.