2011-2012 Graduate Academic Catalog

Page 7 2011–12 Graduate Catalog Introduction Experience Admissions Academic Info. Financial Info. Campus Services M.Ed. M.S.N. Course Descriptions Appendix Academic Information Cedarville University graduate and first professional degree 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. Academic Advising Each student is assigned to an academic advisor by the director of the particular graduate program. The academic advisor offers counsel concerning course scheduling. Students are encouraged to consult their academic advisor prior to registration, whenever an academic problem is encountered, or when considering any changes in their educational program. Registration Process Registration dates for each session are listed in the annual academic calendar. Early registration periods are designated for active graduate students. New graduate students must be accepted for admission through the graduate admissions office and pay the reservation deposit of $150 before they are eligible to register. Submitting a reservation deposit may be found at cedarville.edu/graddeposit. Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this early registration opportunity. Students who register early for a term but do not enroll for the following semester must notify the office of the registrar of their change in status. Registration information and instructions are distributed from the office of the registrar by e-mail prior to the respective registration periods. Additionally, information regarding course offerings and sections, is available online at cedarville.edu/registrar/graduate . Prior to submitting a course registration, 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, course of study, and progress through the program. Graduate students may register online using a web-based interface called WebAdvisor. The online registration process may be completed from any computer through which the student has internet access. Instructions for using the WebAdvisor program are available on the registrar’s website or from the office of the registrar. After the online registration process has been completed, the student’s confirmed schedule becomes an active registration in the administrative computer system. To complete registration, students must make financial arrangements for payment of the amount due. (See Financial Registration Policy on page 11 .) To register for graduate courses please visit cedarville.edu/gradregister. 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, have been admitted to 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, have been admitted to a degree program, and are taking fewer than eight semester hours. • Non-degree seeking students are those who are taking graduate courses but have not yet been admitted to a specific degree program or do not intend to work toward a graduate degree. Graduate students are also classified according to their relationship to formal programs, as follows: • Regular students have met all of the requirements for admission to the graduate program. • Conditionally accepted students have 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. • Transient students are enrolled and in good standing in a graduate degree program at another institution, have written authorization from the appropriate officials at that institution to take graduate courses at Cedarville University, meet all the registration requirements for the course (for example, prerequisites), and have been accepted for transient status by the Graduate Admissions Committee. Drop/Add Policy Changes in the course schedule made after the beginning of a course must be made through the office of the registrar. Course drop/add forms are available on the registrar’s website. The form must be signed by the students and submitted to the office of the registrar in person, by e-mail, or by fax. No courses may be added after the first class without the additional approval of the appointed director of the particular graduate program and the approval of the faculty member teaching the course. 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. Failure to properly drop a class will result in a grade of “Z.” (See Grading System on page 8. ) When a course is dropped properly during the fall or spring terms, the action is recorded as follows: Online Courses Week Course Is Dropped Action Within the 1st full calendar week No record on transcript During the 2nd full calendar week through the next to last calendar week W – Withdrawn During the last calendar week of the course Drops not permitted Fall and Spring Saturday-Only Format Week Course Is Dropped Action Before the start of the second class No record on transcript After the start of the second class W – Withdrawn During the last calendar week of the course Drops not permitted