2011-2012 Graduate Academic Catalog

Page 10 2011–12 Graduate Catalog Introduction Experience Admissions Academic Info. Financial Info. Campus Services M.Ed. M.S.N. Course Descriptions Appendix The associate academic vice president or director of the academic program is responsible for evaluating all requests for transfer credit within that program. Institutions from which courses are transferred must meet accreditation standards required of the individual program. Transfer credit will not be granted for grades of B- or less. “Credit” or “pass” grades are accepted only if approved by the associate academic vice president or director of the program. The number of allowable transfer credits and the number of years since completion of those credits are detailed within each program. To transfer credit an official transcript must be sent directly from the transfer institution to the registrar at Cedarville. Once received, a copy of the transcript will be sent the director of the graduate program for approval. The director will complete a transfer credit evaluation and identify the approved course equivalencies. This information will be provided to the registrar, after which the credits will be posted to the student’s transcript. Grades of transferred credit are not posted to a Cedarville University transcript or counted in the Cedarville grade point average. Credit hours transferred from institutions where quarter hours are awarded will be assigned the equivalent number of semester hours using the formula of three quarter hours being equivalent to two semester hours. Transient Study Coursework to be completed at other institutions by a student enrolled at Cedarville University must be approved by the associate academic vice president or director of the graduate program at Cedarville that would accept the transfer credit. This approval must occur before the course is taken . Students enrolled in other colleges or universities may take courses at Cedarville University on a “permission to take courses” basis. The student must complete a graduate application and be accepted prior to registering for classes. A maximum of six credit hours may be taken at Cedarville University by a transient graduate student. Graduation Requirements Completion of all listed requirements for a program, including a minimum cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 within the given program is required to be certified for graduation. Application for Graduation To graduate, whether or not you plan to attend the ceremony, you must submit an application for graduation and pay any applicable fees. After you return your application to the registrar, your transcript will be audited to verify completion of degree requirements. You are encouraged to apply for graduation at least a semester in advance so that you can be informed of any problems in meeting your degree requirements. Applications must be received no later than 30 working days before commencement. After that date, applications will be deferred to the following commencement. Controlling Catalog The Graduate Catalog in use when a student first enrolls governs his/her graduation requirements unless that catalog is over five years old or that student has left and then sought to re- enroll more than two years later. Consequently, that catalog should be retained and used as a guide in case changes are made in course or graduation requirements during the time the student is enrolled. A student may select a subsequent catalog if the student wishes, but all requirements from that catalog must be completed. Student Responsibility Each student assumes full responsibility for knowing Cedarville University standards, regulations, and procedures along with those of the graduate and first professional degree programs. While all personnel at Cedarville University endeavor to help students in every way possible, the responsibility for meeting requirements stated in this catalog rests with the student and not the advisor or the University. Students are responsible for tracking their progress toward meeting all graduation requirements. Academic Integrity All forms of academic misconduct are prohibited by the standards of conduct for graduate students at Cedarville University. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, cheating on examinations or quizzes, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University by forgery, alteration, or misuse of documents, records, or identification. Typical penalties assigned by the faculty for academic misconduct include, but are not limited to, the following: • Reduction of the letter grade for the work involved • Reduction of the letter grade for the course • Assignment of a failing grade for all work involved • Assignment of a failing grade for the course Any student involved in academic dishonesty is also subject to suspension or dismissal by recommendation of the chair of the department in which the student is enrolled and upon approval of the associate academic vice president of the respective college. The procedure to address academic dishonesty is as follows: When a faculty member suspects a case of academic dishonesty, the faculty member will confront the student(s) involved. If a faculty member concludes that academic dishonesty has occurred, then the student(s) will be informed in writing of the faculty member’s academic penalty and any other recommended disciplinary action. The faculty member will also provide written notification to the chair of the faculty member’s department and the chair of the department of the student’s major (in the case they are different) to inquire about any previous involvement in academic dishonesty. The faculty member will also provide a copy of the notification to the office of the associate academic vice president of the college in which the student is enrolled. Any disciplinary action beyond a grade penalty is to be recommended to the chair of the department in which the student is enrolled (e.g., suspension or dismissal). The process for appeals of decisions related to academic misconduct, is available on the website of the academic vice president ( cedarville.edu/academics/avp ) using the “Policies” link from that page. That information may also be obtained by contacting the office of the academic vice president.