2009-2010 Graduate Academic Catalog

2009–10 Cedarville University Graduate Education 5 Graduate Education Academic Information Conditional Acceptance A student may be granted conditional acceptance and permitted to take up to 11 credit hours (unless otherwise stipulated) for any of the following reasons: • Official copies of transcripts have not yet been received by the University. • GRE scores have not yet been received by the University. • The student’s academic record does not meet typical graduate admission standards but shows potential for success. The decision to grant conditional status is made by the Graduate Admissions Committee. Applicants should feel free to contact the graduate admissions office to check on the status of materials received. Academic Information Cedarville University graduate and professional programs are designed to meet the professional, personal, and spiritual needs of adults who desire to honor God with their careers and lives. Truth from Scripture is integrated with the knowledge taught in each course to provide effective learning and enduring life values. The knowledge and skills learned from the curricular experiences provide adults with an excellent background for professional competence in their chosen fields. Registration Process Registration dates for each session are listed in the University academic calendar and on the graduate admissions website at www.cedarville.edu/graduate . Early registration periods may be designated for currently enrolled students. Registration materials are distributed by mail prior to the respective registration periods. These materials include the appropriate registration forms, instructions, and a class schedule for the semester. Additionally, registration information, including available course offerings and sections, are available online at www.cedarville.edu/graduate . Prior to submitting a course registration form, the student is encouraged to consult with his/her academic advisor to discuss course options and class schedules. Although each student has an academic advisor to help with scheduling, the student is responsible for the chosen class schedule and course of study. Completed course registration forms should be mailed, faxed, or brought to the graduate admissions office. Course selections are then checked against available openings, and a final course schedule is confirmed. To complete registration, students must make financial arrangements for payment of the amount due. (See Financial Registration Policy.) Classification of Students Graduate students are classified by the number of hours for which they are enrolled, as follows: • Full-time students are those who have met the requirements for admission as determined by the Graduate Admissions Committee, are enrolled in a degree program, and are carrying at least eight semester hours of credit in that academic semester. • Part-time students are those who have met the requirements for admission as determined by the Graduate Admissions Committee, are seeking a degree, and are taking fewer than eight semester hours. • Non-degree seeking students are those who are taking courses but not working toward a graduate degree. Since degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking students complete the same application, written permission from the dean or director of a graduate program is all that is needed for a student to become degree-seeking. Graduate students are also classified according to their relationship to formal programs, as follows: • Regular status : the student has met all of the requirements for admission to the graduate program. • Conditional status : the student has applied for admission to the graduate program at Cedarville University but must meet some prerequisite of his/her graduate program or must complete some part of the application process (see Conditional Status). • Transient status : the student is enrolled and in good standing in a graduate degree program at another institution, has written authorization from the appropriate officials at that institution to take graduate courses at Cedarville University, meets all the registration requirements for the course (for example, prerequisites), and has been accepted for transient status by the Graduate Admissions Committee. Drop/Add Policy Changes in the course schedule may be made through the drop/add process. Course drop/add forms are available in the office of the registrar. The form must be signed by both the course instructor and the appointed representative of the graduate program. The effective date of the course change is the date the registrar receives the completed form. When adding a class, the student is required to make up any work missed because of late entrance, assuming that the instructor is willing to allow late entrance into his/her course. No courses may be added without the approval of the appointed representative of the particular graduate program and the approval of the faculty member teaching the course.