History and Philosophy Override Policy History and Philosophy Override Policy Background and Information for Students Overrides are normally restricted to graduating seniors who need a particular course to graduate. There are many reasons for this. We have over 400 majors and we teach five types of required basic studies courses. In addition, some of our courses are required of majors in other departments. As a result, we are under great enrollment pressure.
Many students come to the department asking for overrides into classes.
If we were to grant these requests, our classes would be far too large for effective teaching. In order to manage this situation equitably, the department issues overrides to graduating seniors who need a specific course in order to graduate. In other words, we do not want seniors' graduation to be unduly delayed. Graduating senior is normally defined as a student who expects to graduate at the end of the semester in question. The override policy is a formal agreement with the faculty, and the Department Head is bound by it.