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Course Load
Assuming that proficiency requirements have been satisfied,
a minimum of 128 semester hours is required for graduation. A
student should average at least 16 credit hours each semester to
graduate upon completion of the eighth semester. A normal course
load is 15–18.5 hours each semester. Students working more than
20 hours per week are advised not to carry a full course of studies.
A student’s academic load is subject to reduction or limitation by
a school dean, the dean of undergraduate studies, or by the Vice
President for Academics for poor scholarship or excessive work
outside of school hours. Students who wish to take more than
18.5 credit hours must obtain permission through the following
procedure:
To request 19–21.5 credit hours
The following students require advisor approval:
• SENIORS with at least a 2.3 cumulative GPA
• SOPHOMORES and JUNIORS with at least a 2.5 cumulative
GPA
• FRESHMEN with at least a 2.7 cumulative GPA
• All students without a Cedarville University GPA who scored
at least a 25 or equivalent on the ACT
The following students require department chair or associate/
assistant dean approval:
• Any student not meeting the criteria above
• Any student whose advisor is not available
To request 22 or more credit hours
• All students require approval of advisor, associate/assistant
dean or department chair, and dean of undergraduate studies.
The following situation requires Vice President for Academics
approval:
• When dean of undergraduate studies is not available
Distance Education
Cedarville University does not offer correspondence credits, and
it does not accept correspondence credits from institutions that do
not have accreditation from a recognized United States regional
accrediting agency. In some unusual circumstances, the University
may accept correspondence credits from regionally accredited
institutions of higher learning, but a student may not utilize more
than 10 semester hours of correspondence credits toward fulfilling
degree requirements.
Cedarville University does offer several online learning courses,
and it does accept this type of course from institutions that
are accredited by a U.S. regional accrediting agency. Distance
learning courses are subject to the same policies and restrictions
as normal transfer courses.
The University reviews and processes credits received for
distance learning and correspondence study in the same manner
as transfer credits. For additional information, contact the Office of
the Registrar.
Transient Study
Course work to be completed at other institutions by a student
enrolled at Cedarville University must be approved before
the course is taken by securing the signatures of the transfer
coordinator, the student’s academic advisor, and the chair of the
academic department governing the course requirement that the
transferred course is to satisfy. Transient Study Applications are
available in the Office of the Registrar. An official transcript must
be received before transfer credit will be evaluated and recorded.
Registration for Courses
Course Numbers and Designations
The course numbers are designed to help students select
courses at the appropriate level. The University uses the following
system:
1. The first number indicates the year in which the course
is usually taken. Freshmen and College Now students
normally take 1000-level courses; sophomores,
1000-level or 2000-level courses; juniors, 2000-level or
3000-level courses; and seniors, 3000-level or 4000-level
courses. College Now Students are limited to 1000-level
or 2000-level courses unless approved by dean of
undergraduate students. Courses beyond the degree
student’s classification should be taken with the consent of
the instructor and academic advisor.
2. The alphabetical prefixes in the course designations
indicate content divisions within academic departments.
For example, the prefix “BTHT” indicates that the course is
a theology course in the School of Biblical and Theological
Studies.
The semester that the course is offered is shown in the
University catalog following the course title as follows: Fa – fall;
Sp – spring; and Su – summer. The number to the right of the
course title indicates credit given in semester hours. The University
reserves the right to offer or withhold any of the courses listed.
Alternate Year Courses
Some departments offer courses on alternate years. These are
designated as “even years” or “odd years” based on the first school
year number. Example: 2015–16 is an odd year.
Continuing at the University
The University assumes that a student will continue taking
courses from semester to semester unless the student graduates,
is asked to leave for academic or disciplinary reasons, or
withdraws voluntarily. To assist in planning each academic term,
the University asks each student to register for the upcoming
academic term during early registration. This secures courses
for the student and enables the University to make enrollment
decisions for that term. A student who owes money to the
University may not register for future academic terms.
Enrolled students register for fall semester courses at the end of
each spring semester.
A student who does not register by June 1 or make other
special arrangements with Student Life will be considered
withdrawn. Any student who withdraws voluntarily or is involuntarily
withdrawn must apply and be approved for readmission to return
as a student to the University. Readmission forms and information
are available from Admissions.
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2016–17 Undergraduate Academic Catalog
Academic Information
Distance Education